World’s Longest and Deepest Tunnel “Gotthard Base Tunnel” Opens in Switzerland (VIDEO)
The Gotthard Base Tunnel (GBT) in Switzerland is considered the world’s longest and deepest railway tunnel, and the tunnel is finally opened on June 1, 2016 after 17 years of construction work. Going to depths of up to 7,500 feet under the Alps, the tunnel costs $12 billion.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel, French President François Hollande and Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi are due to attend a ritzy ceremony to inaugurate the lengthy 35.5-mile tunnel.
The new route has much lower gradients that will allow passenger trains to travel at up to 155 miles per hour, reducing the journey times between Zurich, Switzerland, and Milan, Italy, from just over four hours to two-and-a-half hours.
Scheduled services of the twin tunnels, with one for each direction, will start in December after testing of new trains are conducted.
Watch this Discovery Channel documentary about the Gotthard Base Tunnel.
Another video from Siemens.