2010-04-13 11:44:28
Inauguration of Loetschberg tunnel
The tunnel should ease the big burden of transalpine traffic
Switzerland has opened the world's longest rail tunnel on land - the
34-kilometre (21-mile) Loetschberg tunnel under the Alps.
It will cut the journey time between Germany and Italy by at least a third.
It is set to be fully operational in December, and will eventually handle about
42 passenger trains and up to 80 freight trains daily.
The estimated cost of the project is 4.3bn Swiss francs ( 1.75bn; $3.5bn).
Construction started eight years ago.
Worldwide the Loetschberg is third in length, behind Japan's Seikan tunnel and
the Channel tunnel, both of which are underwater. But it is the longest tunnel
on land.
Click here for detailed map
Switzerland acts as one of Europe's major junctions for freight and the tunnel
is meant to move cargo off the roads and onto rail.
More than 4,000 heavy lorries cross the Swiss Alps by road every day, leading
to traffic jams, air pollution and accidents.
The Swiss rail tunnel project - including a second, parallel tunnel, due for
completion in 2015 - is one of the biggest engineering projects in the world.
Millions of tonnes of rock have to be shifted.
The second rail route, the Gotthard rail tunnel, will measure 60km - making it
the longest in the world - and will cut the travel time from Zurich to Milan to
only two-and-a-half hours.
SWITZERLAND: KEY RAIL TUNNEL PROJECTS
Tunnel map
Twin tunnels being built as part of policy to move road freight to rail
Loetschberg base tunnel (Frutigen-Raron) opened in June 2007
New Gotthard tunnel due to go into operation in 2015
Combined construction costs currently put at more than $13bn