[12], The Swiss government has decided to upgrade the second tunnel into a full road tunnel in order to allow for the necessary reconstruction of the first road tunnel. Construction is scheduled to start in 2020, with the cost estimated at almost CHF 3 billion. EU heads to take 57km maiden voyage in €11bn Gotthard base tunnel on Wednesday, Tue 31 May 2016 11.57 EDT • This article was amended on 1 June 2016. Its driver, Bruno Saba, who survived the fire, kept on driving as he was afraid his diesel might catch fire. Under construction since 2002 and opened on 1 June 2016, the Gotthard Base Tunnel (a second rail tunnel, 57 km [35 mi] long), is the world's longest. In the process, almost 30m tonnes of rock and soil were transported from the massif’s inner core to the surface via a giant purpose-built lift. The actual upgrade mining of the second road tunnel would last from 2020 to 2027 at a cost of 2.7 billion francs for the whole project including the following reconstruction of the first tunnel. It was opened in 1882. The world's longest and deepest rail tunnel has officially opened in Switzerland, after almost two decades of construction work. x ad by gifs.com For the 2016 rail tunnel, see, The south entrance of Gotthard Road Tunnel. The tunnel was opened on 5 September 1980. Switzerland has inaugurated Gotthard Base Tunnel, staging a massive celebration to honor the longest and deepest railway tunnel in the world. [citation needed], Construction on a second, parallel road tunnel was started. The Gotthard Tunnel is the core and culminating point of the A2 motorway in Switzerland, running south from Basel through the tunnel down to Chiasso on the border with Italy. All of these have their drawbacks and the usage of the second tunnel was chosen as the best option to allow for the reconstruction. The world's longest and deepest train tunnel has opened in Switzerland, nearly two decades after construction began. Following Switzerland’s constitution, the outcome of its immigration referendum result has to be implemented by February 2017 – three years after the vote was held. After 17 years of construction … In first instance it was only built for safety: an escape route in case of accidents. “We keep our promises, and we put our money where our mouth is.”. It is no coincidence that the German chancellor Angela Merkel, French president François Hollande and Italian prime minister Matteo Renzi have found the time to join Swiss president Johann Schneider-Ammann for Wednesday’s maiden voyage through the rail tunnel, which contains a 152km labyrinth of galleries, cross passages and shafts and has taken 17 years to complete. Artists perform during the grand opening for the tunnel, the world's longest and deepest rail tunnel. For instance, carbon monoxide is highly toxic at very low concentrations; having this trapped in a confined space allows concentrations to build well beyond a fatal level. The 35-mile Gotthard Basel Tunnel is a high-speed rai... After nearly 20 years of construction, the world's longest rail tunnel opened in Switzerland Wednesday. Efforts to do this have failed, blocked by political resistance. Four giant drill heads were used to cut a path through the mountain range. The tunnel's speed limit is 80 km/h (50 mph). In contrast, another tunnel through the Alps, the San Bernardino road tunnel as part of the A13 in the canton of Graubünden further east, is relatively uncongested and shorter. Trains will be able to cross the Gotthard massif at a maximum speed of 250km/h, taking about 20 minutes. The Gotthard Base Tunnel is located in Switzerland. 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