Construction of the world's longest - and deepest - railway tunnel, in Switzerland, is complete.

The NEAT Gotthard Base Tunnel, when it opens to the public on June 1 2016, will transport passengers from Zurich to Milan in two hours and 50 minutes, shaving almost an hour off the current travel time.

Measuring 35 miles, it surpasses Japan’s 14.5-mile Seikan Tunnel, which connects the main island of Honshu with the northern island of Hokkaido.

Work began on the ambitious project, which was funded by Switzerland at cost of around $10.3 billion or £6.5 billion, 20 years ago in 1996.

Over 2,000 workers were drafted in to excavate more than two million truck loads of earth from as deep as 8,000 below the surface of the earth.

Due to the rugged terrain of the alps, connecting important cities, such as Milan and Zurich is no mean feat, but thanks to the tunnel being almost completely flat along its whole length, trains will soon be able to travel at more than 150 miles per hour.

Excavation involved enormous tunnel boring machines cutting through almost 100 feet of rock every day. It was a dangerous process, and tragically eight workers died during construction

Geneva newspaper, TDG, reports that the first safety tests will take place in October. All scenarios will be considered and tested, said Marco Hirzel of Alptransit Gotthard at a press conference on August 24.

'After opening the tunnel, it will be the safest stretch of the Swiss railway network,' Renzo Simoni, CEO of AlpTransit Gotthard, told the newspaper.

In January, 1,000 people will be selected to take the maiden voyage.


SOURCE: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/travel/travel_news/article-3211503/35-miles-2-million-truck-loads-earth-6-5-billion-later-Switzerland-completes-work-world-s-longest-tunnel-8-000-feet-beneath-alps.html

http://www.nairaroot.com/worlds-longest-and-deepest-railway-tunnel/#.Vd6OLciL3IU

Amazing engineering feat!

great achievers of our time.

Good job jare not like 9ja dt entered guinness book of record on shayo level... Largest poster in d world..

C rail !! 9jà. Ex president go de Bragg. 4 60's locomotive train way wheelbarrow fast pass,wen som countries de use trrain way fast pass plane ,God de

I love engineering.... looking forward to seeing China break this record

We go break that record before Buhari leave office. Abi?

derrick333:
C rail !! 9jà. Ex president go de Bragg. 4 60's locomotive train way wheelbarrow fast pass,wen som countries de use trrain way fast pass plane ,God de

Well, he's out. We shall see if the current one can give us something like this. FYI, the thread was about the rail and not the trains.

DaGC:



Well, he's out. We shall see if the current one can give us something like this. FYI, the thread was about the rail and not the trains.

We tank Jah ,evn if d recent 1 doesn't do digital,I dnt tink u shud Brag abt d analog, am nt for ani 1 if him4k up too? Away ,we go pursue am

I fink is time to break aso rock and use it as an express way linking duara

Interesting..

I will visit it next week...
pls remind me in case I forget.

derrick333:

We tank Jah ,evn if d recent 1 doesn't do digital,I dnt tink u shud Brag abt d analog, am nt for ani 1 if him4k up too? Away ,we go pursue am

You should brag about the 'analogue' especially after many decades, the country had a none existing railway sector. And you also said that it won't matter even if the current one doesn't go 'digital' according to you.

Seems to me, you blatantly just don't like the former. Otherwise, it would have mattered if the present one did something in the sector.

DaGC:


You should brag about the 'analogue' especially after many decades, the country had a none existing railway sector. And you also said that it won't matter even if the current one doesn't go 'digital' according to you.

Seems to me, you blatantly just don't like the former. Otherwise, it would have mattered if the present one did something in the sector.

Read btw d lines,I said even if de cant go digital de shuldnt Bragg abt d analogue,reforblishing our 1917 train @list is a welcm development evn if oda world doesn't recognize it ani more,but braggin abt it ,isn't worth it weda d former or current ,I was mad at d ex n his wife bragin abt d analogue

While at this, Nigerian politicians are stealing, Boko haram is bombing, Fulani are killing..

The oldest surviving crime in Nigeria being embezzlement of public funds. Men convicted of embezzlement of huge funds should be shot. Life in prison is not easy. Just end them.

If people who carry only 1kg of cocaine are shot in Asia, why shouldn't someone whole stole over N1bn of public funds. ?

Awesome, May God help Nigeria oooo. Nigerian govt of d past re scammers. Pdp govt see ur life.

Amazing