Background Gotthard Base Tunnel

since 13th century, 2,106 metre-high gotthard pass has been important trade route northern southern europe. control of access routes led birth of swiss confederacy. gotthard pass located halfway between lake lucerne , lake maggiore. shortest link between navigable rhine , po. traverse of pass took days.

quite late, compared other pass routes through alps on north-south axis (e.g. simplon, san bernardino, brenner), namely in 1822, first saint-gotthard pass road established after centuries-long usage of bridle path. 1842 onwards, daily course gotthard post, stagecoach drawn 5 horses ten seats, still took 23 hours como flüelen.

gotthard post on tremola (1873 rudolf koller)

in 1882, inauguration of gotthard railway tunnel, travel time between altdorf , biasca reduced dramatically hours, though accompanied overnight stays in huge fin de siècle-hotels, example in biasca. these days, still adventure , affordable rich anyhow.

in autumn of 1921, final stagecoach traversed pass.

electrification of railway line in 1922 significally reduced travel time more. refilling water boilers of steam locomotives no longer necessary. there technical advantages of electrical engines , future technical improvements.

it said first car traversed pass in 1895. first reported surmounting of pass in 1901 still took more day.

from 1924, car transport on trains through railway tunnel began. sections between göschenen , andermatt, schöllenen ravine, , tremola, had countless hairpin turns , serpentine curves peak of pass airolo on southern side of pass, dropping 1,000 metres (3,300 ft) in altitude, posing huge challenge automobiles.

cars transport on trains in 1930s

from 1953 onwards, pass road sequentially improved , expanded @ several sections along gotthard route, ending in 1977 opening of expressway circumventing tremola.

the old pass road, tremola

time further dramatically reduced opening of gotthard road tunnel , finalization of northern part of a2 motorway through urner reusstal, many additional tunnels (then leading basel gotthard road tunnel), in 1980. completion in 1986 of a2 motorway in valle leventina, huge valley leading airolo down bellinzona, , surmounting of monte ceneri between bellinzona , lugano in 1983, continuous motorway established northern border of switzerland in basel southern border in chiasso, or shortest motorway route north-german hamburg far south-italian sicilly, bringing down competitiveness of railway line.

today, both rail , road routes among important passages through alps on north-south axis.

after opening of auto tunnel, in 1980, traffic increased more tenfold. existing tunnel @ capacity 2013. second tunnel built next first, per national referendum. construction start in 2020 , finish in 2027.

relative location , size of gotthard tunnel (1882) , gotthard base tunnel (2016) both yellow. red: open-air rail

as 1947, engineer eduard gruner imagined two-story base tunnel amsteg biasca, both rail , road, stop @ sedrun, provide faster , flatter passage through swiss alps. gruner s idea, gbt cuts through gotthard massif 600 m (2,000 ft) below older tunnel. on current track, gotthard railway, trains 1,300 t (1,400 short tons; 1,300 long tons) when using 2 locomotives or 1,500 t (1,700 short tons; 1,500 long tons) additional bank engine @ end of train able pass through narrow mountain valleys , through spiral tunnels climbing portals of old tunnel @ height of 1,151 m (3,776 ft) above sea level. when gbt in full service, standard freight trains of 3,600 t (4,000 short tons; 3,500 long tons) able pass natural barrier.

because of ever-increasing international truck traffic, swiss voters chose shift in transportation policy in february 1994 (traffic transfer act, enacted in october 1999). second law, alpine protection act of 1994, required shift of tonnage possible truck transport train transport.

the goal of both laws transport trucks, trailers , freight containers through switzerland, basel chiasso, , beyond rail relieve overused roads, , of gotthard in particular, using intermodal freight transport , rolling highways (where entire truck transported). gbt substantially contributes requirements of both laws , enables direct flat route ports of north sea (notably rotterdam) of mediterranean sea (notably genoa), via rhine corridor.

passenger trains can travel 250 km/h (155 mph) through gbt, reducing travel times trans-alpine train journeys 40 minutes, , 1 hour once adjacent zimmerberg , ceneri base tunnels completed. viewed revolution, in isolated region of ticino, separated rest of country alps , gotthard. 2 stations of bellinzona , lugano (respectively named gate of ticino , terrace of ticino ) entirely renovated opening of gbt, among other improvements.

as of 2016, gotthard base tunnel longest railway tunnel in world. third swiss tunnel bear title, after gotthard tunnel (15 km, 1882) , simplon tunnel (19.8 km, 1905). third tunnel built under gotthard, after gotthard tunnel , gotthard road tunnel.