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Gotthard Base Tunnel ready to open

Joanna GottschalkJuly 7, 2016

The Gotthard Base is the world's longest railway tunnel, running through the Swiss Alps. It's expected to have a huge impact on European freight transport – with significant environmental benefits.

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Hauptdurchschlag am Gotthard
Image: AP

Gotthard Base Tunnel ready to open

The Gotthard Base Tunnel started in 2004, and travels underneath the Swiss Alps for 35.4 miles. The cost of the project was just under $10 billion U.S., and now it is finally done. The New Rail Link through the Alps (NRLA) is the core focus of Swiss transport policy and consists in shifting heavy goods vehicle traffic from road to rail, as proposed in the Alpine Initiative. But it is also a story about connecting up Europe.