Gotthard Base Tunnel, Railway tunnel in Uri, Grisons, and Ticino, Switzerland.
The Gotthard Base Tunnel is a railway route beneath the Swiss Alps, running 57 kilometers (35 miles) between Uri in the north and Ticino in the south. It passes deep under the Gotthard massif, forming an almost straight line through rock that was once crossed only by winding mountain roads.
Work began in 1999, after Swiss voters supported the project in several referendums. The ceremonial opening took place in June 2016, after seventeen years of construction and boring through millions of tons of rock.
The tunnel links communities north and south of the Alps, whose daily lives were once separated by the mountain range. Today commuters, travelers and freight vehicles pass through as if the mountains no longer existed, reshaping the rhythm of entire valleys.
The passage shortens travel time between Zurich and Milan by about an hour and is used by hundreds of trains each day. Travelers hardly notice they are inside a tunnel, as the ride is smooth and without steep gradients.
Two parallel tubes run through the mountain, connected by cross passages every 325 meters (1,066 feet) for emergencies and maintenance. A sophisticated cooling system keeps the interior temperature bearable, even though the surrounding rock is often hot.
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