World’s longest rail tunnel opens in Switzerland

The 57km tunnel, which runs beneath the Swiss alps from Erstfeld to Bodio, will shave 45 minutes off the journey time between Zurich and Lugano.

Two 57km long tunnels were excavated beneath the Swiss alps

Funded by the Swiss government and built at a cost of around €9bn, the new link forms a central component of the “Rhine-Alp corridor”, an EU backed project aimed at improving rail freight transportation in Europe.

Construction on the project - which saw the excavation of two 57km tunnels as well as the creation of a series of cross-passages, access tunnels and shafts - began in 1999, and involved more than 2,400 workers.

During construction the tunnel - which at points runs at up to 2000m beneath the surface - was subdivided into five separate sections which, to save time, were built simultaneously. Access adits provided access to the underground construction sites for personnel, materials and machines.