yaaay

Studying last AGN Strabag updates it seem they stop tunneling at 50 m remain to breakthrough in the East tunnel since few days ago :ohno: however the west tunneling continue.

http://www.agn-amsteg.ch/fileadmin/baufortschritt/constprog-erstfeld.html

great, east tunnel,s Ertsfeld TBM work again, remain 33 m for breaktrough (see link posted above)

Status of Work on the Gotthard and Ceneri

02.06.2009

Sedrun

As of June 1, 2009, of the total of 153.3 km of tunnels, galleries and passages of the Gotthard Base Tunnel, 133 km, or 86.78 %, had been excavated. The total amount driven in May 2009 was 2091 m.

Work on the Ceneri Base Tunnel is proceeding at full speed. On the north portal at Camorino/Vigana, as well as on the south portal at Lugano/Vezia, preparation work is in progress. At Sigirino, following breakthrough of the window adit, final work in the logistics cavern is in progress.

why did they close the trolley system in Lugano?

They said that they hadn't the money to replace trolleybuses and old parts of overhead wires (about 30 to 50 million € all included). But they found 200 millions for a road tunnel and other road infrastructures. The local authorities are now planning a tramway, but there is no money at the moment.

i think trolley buses should be used much more, especially considering 0 emissions

one of the reasons i like swiss small towns is that a lot of them have / had .. trolleybuses


anyway, great progress on gotthard :o

The east TBM of the Erstfeld-Amsteg section is stopped 23 m before the end of its section of tunnel since a few days. It will wait here until the 16th June, because the event will be broadcasted live by the Swiss televison.

The west TBM has still 1,4 km to excavate.

SF needs 4 days to roll up to broadast? :D

Apparently :D

Successful Breakthrough: Federal Councillor Leuenberger Congratulates

15.06.2009

Just before 12 noon today, the tunnel boring machine Gabi 1 broke through the last metres of rock between Erstfeld and Amsteg. By covering a distance of 7.2 kilometres in only 18 months the machine arrived in Amsteg half a year earlier than planned. At the construction site, Federal Councillor Moritz Leuenberger congratulated the tunnel constructors on this outstanding achievement.

In his speech, Federal Councillor Leuenberger showed that he was highly impressed by the efficient progress on construction, and expressed his thanks to everyone involved, especially the tunnellers. With the construction of the NRLA, Switzerland can prove to Europe that it belongs to Europe, because Switzerland is building the longest railway tunnel in the world for Europe with Europeans. Not only is the NRLA central to the Swiss policy of transferring traffic from road to rail, Europe also admires Switzerland for expanding its railway infrastructure so uncompromisingly, said Leuenberger.

Renzo Simoni, CEO of AlpTransit Gotthard Ltd, expressed great delight at the breakthrough. "The breakthrough is a further important milestone in the construction of the Gotthard Base Tunnel", said Simoni.

With a ceremony on December 4, 2007, the tunnel boring machine started driving southwards from Erstfeld. Eighteen months later, and half a year earlier than planned, the tunnel boring machine reached its destination at Amsteg. Breakthrough of the tunnel was achieved with great accuracy, the deviation of 4 mm horizontally and 8 mm vertically was minimal.

AlpTransit Gotthard Ltd is very satisfied with the achievements on the construction of the Gotthard Base Tunnel. With the breakthrough between Erstfeld und Amsteg, the second-to-last of the total of five sections celebrated its breakthrough. Of the 153.5 km of the tunnel system under the Gotthard, 133 km or 87 percent have now been excavated. According to the construction programme, the final breakthrough between Sedrun and Faido will take place at the beginning of 2011.

The celebrations in the tunnel were broadcast live on Swiss television. The general public have the opportunity to view work on the Gotthard Base Tunnel on site at the Construction Site Open Day in Sedrun on Saturday, June 20, 2009.
http://www.alptransit.ch/en/news/article/2009/06/15/erfolgreicher-durchschlag-bundesrat-leuenberger-gratuliert/

http://www.sf.tv/sfwissen/dossier.php?docid=10238

Congratulations Switzerland!!:cheers:

Your country will benefit greatly by having fast rail connections to the rest of Europe. Now it is time to extend LGV Rhin-Rhone to Basel and Zurich!!

Congratulations Switzerland!!:cheers:

Your country will benefit greatly by having fast rail connections to the rest of Europe. Now it is time to extend LGV Rhin-Rhone to Basel and Zurich!!



I have a feeling that the swiss will build the so called 'Swissmetro' before that!

They just CANT STOP digging tunnels :lol:

Congratulations Switzerland!!:cheers:

Your country will benefit greatly by having fast rail connections to the rest of Europe. Now it is time to extend LGV Rhin-Rhone to Basel and Zurich!!

And probably have German ICE lines be HS into Switzerland, along with Italian connections upto the tunnel.

I couldnt find an SBB thread, so here it goes:

how much do you adore this loco? how much do you love SBB / the swiss for this?
http://www.railpictures.net/images/d1/3/7/6/6376.1245953549.jpg



just so you know, they are replacing this loco series, which was built in 1932
http://www.railfaneurope.net/pix/ch/SBB_CFF_FFS/electric/shunter/Ee3_3/16364.jpg

They just CANT STOP digging tunnels :lol:

Hey, if anyone's going to pull off a project like this, it's the Swiss!

Congratulations Switzerland!!:cheers:

Your country will benefit greatly by having fast rail connections to the rest of Europe. Now it is time to extend LGV Rhin-Rhone to Basel and Zurich!!

Ja, schoen waere es! (Transl.: Nice dream!)

I don't think fast rail connections to the rest of Europe is in the cards for the Swiss - unfortunately. So far they have spent zillions on improving the connections between the north and the south of their own country. Ultimately those two NEAT projects (Loetschberg & Gotthard) were about providing transit routes between northern Italy and the Rhine valley to stop the alpine routes from suffocating from lorries. But...

...I'm not aware of any fast routes being built or even planned across borders. I'll be happy to learn otherwise if someone knows something. South of Lugano the Italians are in no hurry (and one can hardly blame them: they have dozens of domestic HS priorities) to link Gotthard up highspeed with Milan - or, for that matter, Loetschberg via Domodossola. The "French connection" Paris-Geneva is going to get sped up in two years' time, but through the reactivation of an old mountain railroad shaving 62 km of the route - not because of cross-border HS links. The Paris-Basle connection via the new Rhin-Rhone line that you mention will ultimately end in Mulhouse - not Basle - and the first phase of the project will extend only to Belfort. :ohno:

The most promising alley, in my view, is the German upgrades plus certain, short newly built stretches of the the Rhine valley railroad. Ultimately it will allow trains to travel at speeds of 200-250 km/h the entire way between Basle and Karlsruhe. (Unfortunately, this being Germany, the work takes forever...) One beautiful day the Swiss will wake up and find out that they ARE in dire need of yet another long tunnel. Because when the rail freight (and, to a lesser extent, passengers) swoop down the Rhine at top speeds and continue under the Alps at top speeds then there will be a significant bottleneck south of Basle in the Jura hills. Plans to deal with this through a new "Wisenberg" tunnel have so far faltered because Swiss parliamentary populists want to use any new railway investment to benefit the local communities rather than transit. But... they'll soon need to get cracking, or else! :speech:

As of July 1, 2009, of the total of 151.84 km of tunnels, galleries and passages of the Gotthard Base Tunnel, 134.8 km, or 88.8 %, had been excavated. The total amount driven in June 2009 was 1735 m.

Work on the Ceneri Base Tunnel is proceeding at full speed. On the north portal at Camorino/Vigana, as well as on the south portal at Lugano/Vezia, preparation work is in progress. At Sigirino, following breakthrough of the window adit, final work in the logistics cavern is in progress.

Northern portal of the Ceneri Base Tunnel:

http://www.alptransit.ch/typo3temp/pics/ff8b9645b8.jpg

what is the change to pass from a total of 153.3 km to 151.84 km ?

I don't know. I posed myself the same question.

Record: 56 meters in 24 hours between Erstfeld and Amsteg.

Erstfeld: Gabi 2 auf Rekordfahrt
20.07.2009

Rasanter Endspurt der Tunnelbohrmaschine Gabi 2 zwischen Erstfeld und Amsteg: am Sonntag 19. Juli 2009 fuhr die Tunnelbohrmaschine in der Weströhre innerhalb von 24 Stunden nicht weniger als 56 Meter auf – eine einmalige Leistung beim Bau des Gotthard-Basistunnels.

Die Tunnelbohrmaschine West hat in der Zwischenzeit 6'616 m oder 92.6 % aufgefahren. Es fehlen noch rund 531 m bis zum Durchschlag, der im Herbst 2009 stattfindet.

Great I think breaktrough for August or September as later.

This project is featured in a programme is on British TV on Tuesday at 8pm (9pm CET).

http://www.mydigiguide.com/dgx/wbl.dll?a=6&h=49&PID=21539


Big, Bigger, Biggest (Documentary)
Time - 20:00 - 21:00 (1 hour long)
When - Tuesday 28th July on five

New series of the programme that examines the history behind huge feats of engineering. This instalment reveals how six technological breakthroughs have enabled the construction of the Gotthard Base Tunnel through the Alps.

Mainland Europeans may be able to pick this up on satellite.

yaay

As of August 1, 2009, of the total of 151.84 km of tunnels, galleries and passages of the Gotthard Base Tunnel, 136.6 km, or 90 %, had been excavated. The total amount driven in July 2009 was 1786 m.

Status of Work on the Gotthard and Ceneri

01.09.2009

As of September 1, 2009, of the total of 151.84 km of tunnels, galleries and passages of the Gotthard Base Tunnel, 137.3 km, or 90.4 %, had been excavated. The total amount driven in August 2009 was 700 m.

Work on the Ceneri Base Tunnel is proceeding at full speed. On the north portal at Camorino/Vigana, as well as on the south portal at Lugano/Vezia, preparation work is in progress. At Sigirino, following breakthrough of the window adit, final work in the logistics cavern is in progress.

Two locomotives tow outside the tunnel part of the TBM Erstfeld East.

http://img297.imageshack.us/img297/3716/1setg.jpg (http://img297.imageshack.us/i/1setg.jpg/)

Neat!

- A

Thanks for the update! :)

http://img297.imageshack.us/img297/3716/1setg.jpg

^^Nice to see that Saint Barbara (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_Barbara) has even an own ladder to leave her podium for a break. :applause:

The Swiss consider everything! :yes:

I went on google earth and searched the areas where this is happening. When you look at it from taht perspective it is even more impressive a project.

Breakthrough in the west tunnel between Erstfeld and Amsteg

On September 16, 2009, shortly before 4 pm, in the west tunnel of the Gotthard Base Tunnel, Tunnel Boring Machine Gabi 2 broke through the last metres of rock between Erstfeld and Amsteg. Breakthrough in the east tunnel already took place on June 16, 2009.

Breakthrough of the tunnel was achieved with very great accuracy. By covering a distance of 7.2 kilometres in only 18 months, the tunnel boring machine arrived in Amsteg half a year earlier than planned. Breakthrough in the east tunnel was also attained by the tunnel constructors six months ahead of schedule in June 2009.

AlpTransit Gotthard Ltd is very satisfied with the achievements on the construction of the Gotthard Base Tunnel, confirmed CEO Renzo Simoni. With the breakthrough in the west tunnel, excavation work for the base tunnel on the north side of the Gotthard is now complete. Of the 151.8 km of the tunnel system under the Gotthard, a total of around 137 km, or almost 91 percent, has now been excavated. The final breakthrough between Sedrun and Faido is expected to take place at the end of 2010 or beginning of 2011.

http://www.alptransit.ch/en/news/article/2009/09/16/durchschlag-der-westroehre-zwischen-erstfeld-und-amsteg/

=====================================

One of the two planend elongations of the Ceneri Base Tunnel (http://www.alptransit.ch/en/status-of-the-work/ceneri-base-tunnel/) has been choosen at a preliminary stage. This tunnel will thus have many entrances to the south: if all of them will be built, there will be as many as six, exluding intermediate access tunnels (about 8).

This is the branch to Luino and Laveno (map (http://www.bueker.net/trainspotting/map.php?file=maps/milano-area/milano-area.gif)), it wil be single track with passing loops ( :wallbash: ) and about 22 km long (in tunnel to Luino) plus the Ceneri Basis (about 15 km). The other branch will be between 22 and 26 km long, plus the Ceneri Basis, as I have presented before in this thread. The other exits diverge under the mountain with much shorter tunnels.

http://www.proiter.it/assets/galleries/325/4-tracciato_luve2.jpg

Blue = bored by TBM, green = bored by drill&blast, red = passing loop either inside the tunnel or outside, all is subjected to changes. Note that Ceneri Basis, Ceresio and Monte Bedea would in fact be the same tunnel. Montegrino, Monte La Teggia and Mombello are separate tunnels.

Cocco, how "official" is this plan, do you know? I've seen at least five alternative plans for a border crossing between Ticino and Lombardia - at various stages of planning. What you posted looks like the line tracing that was previously known as the "Varese Variant". Do we know if this plan has been officially selected? If so, do we know if there's a commitment to actually build it?

All of these plans are official. The line to Chiasso is studied by Swiss railways, the one to Luino/Laveno/Sangiano by Italy.

The variant of the Chiasso line has not been chosen, nor the one for Luino, but the preliminary project recommended the Ceneri Basis-Ponte Tresa-Bosco Valtravaglia option.

http://forumfiles.milanotrasporti.org/uploads/AlpTransit_Sud.jpg

The idea is to build both, one line to Luino/Laveno and one to Chiasso, plus other lines north of Milan. When and if they will be built is not known yet (maybe between 2020 and 2030), but in my opinon, Luino/Laveno line is more likely to be built as it is cheaper (single track, no diffucult bridges/tunnels under the lake) and avoids Milano.

The Mendrisio-Arcisate-Varese (http://www.bueker.net/trainspotting/map.php?file=maps/milano-area/milano-area.gif) line is already under construction, but it is planned mainly for passenger trains. It will open probably in 2014.

(the map comes from a Schweers+Wall (http://www.schweers-wall.de/) atlas - they are really woth their price)

^^Thanks for the explanations. I have to say, though, that this was not quite what I meant by "official". Yeah, OK, there are always dozens of official evaluations of alternative railway lines, but what I really meant was, is there an official commitment to actually build some of these railway connections. From your response I take it that the answer is "not yet".

I have learnt to be a bit sceptical about plans and declarations of intent coming from our Italian friends. Their political tradition seems to be one of "declarations", a few of which they make good on. The Swiss are often the extreme opposite: it can be quite difficult to persuade them to make concrete promises, but when they do then come h*** or high water those promises will be carried out - on schedule. :cheers:

5 km left---> Final breakthrough expected in november 2010.

La TBM ticinese raggiunge il Canton Grigioni

È stata raggiunta un'altra pietra miliare nella realizzazione della Galleria di base del San Gottardo: nel tubo est, la fresa meccanica (TBM) che da Faido avanza verso Sedrun ha varcato il confine cantonale tra il Ticino ed i Grigioni. La caduta del diaframma principale avverrà sul territorio grigionese nel corso dell’anno prossimo.

Alcuni giorni fa la fresa meccanica nel tubo est ha superato il confine cantonale tra il Ticino ed i Grigioni. L’attraversamento è avvenuto 2’000 metri sotto il Piz Scai (GR) e l’Alpe Scaione (TI).

Dei complessivi 57 chilometri di lunghezza della Galleria di base del San Gottardo ne devono essere scavati ancora soltanto 5. “Le due frese meccaniche avanzano di buon ritmo”, rileva Renzo Simoni, presidente della direzione di AlpTransit Gottardo SA. “La caduta del diaframma principale tra Faido e Sedrun avverrà presumibilmente nel novembre 2010”.

Sui circa 151.8 chilometri complessivi di gallerie, pozzi e cunicoli previsti sotto il San Gottardo ne sono stati scavati 137, ossia il 91% del totale. La messa in esercizio commerciale della Galleria di base del San Gottardo è prevista per la fine del 2017.

25.09.2009
alptransit.ch

Status of Work on the Gotthard and Ceneri
As of Oktober 1, 2009, of the total of 151.84 km of tunnels, galleries and passages of the Gotthard Base Tunnel, 138.6 km, or 91.3 %, had been excavated. The total amount driven in September 2009 was 1324 m.

At Camorino and Giubiasco the installation works for the new bridge over the A2 motorway and the Morobbia bridge have begun. At Vigana further test blasts have been performed to define the explosive quantities for the A2 underpass.

At the same time in the area of the portal, excavation by mechanical digger is in progress. At Sigirino excavation of the CAOP, and at Vezia blasting and excavation for the construction pit by the Villa Negroni, are continuing.

alptransit.ch

awesome news

This month it´s my turn...:D

Status of Work on the Gotthard and Ceneri (http://www.alptransit.ch/en/news/article/2009/11/01/bezeichnung/)

01.11.2009

As of November 1, 2009, of the total of 151.84 km of tunnels, galleries and passages of the Gotthard Base Tunnel, 139.96 km, or 92.2 %, had been excavated. The total amount driven in October 2009 was 1352 m.

http://www.alptransit.ch/typo3temp/pics/8e525fbe40.jpg
Faido

At Camorino and Giubiasco the installation works for the new bridge over the A2 motorway and the Morobbia bridge have begun. At Vigana further test blasts have been performed to define the explosive quantities for the A2 underpass. At the same time in the area of the portal, excavation by mechanical digger is in progress. At Sigirino excavation of the CAOP, and at Vezia blasting and excavation for the construction pit by the Villa Negroni, are continuing.

They are now digging so deep in the mountains, hopefully they won´t wake up the Balrog on their final way to the last breakthrough...:shifty:
http://ui15.gamespot.com/2382/balrog_2.jpg
We all know what happened to the Dwarves as they released it from its prison...:runaway:

http://www.alptransit.ch/fileadmin/images/Stand_der_Arbeiten/Gesamt_GBT_e.gif

so final breakthrough october-november 2010?

Probably. About 3,5 km left in the eastern tube: http://www.tat-ti.ch/index.php?id=118&L=1

As far as I know the final breakthrough is planed for 2011, the opening for 2017.

Official dates are too pessimistic. At the end of 2008 the final breakthrough was planed for the end of 2011, in April 2009 they announced for the beginning of 2011, now the official date is end 2010. I think that the 2017 will become 2015 in a few months.

its also worth mentioning that 17 % of the ceneri is done too :o

The boring of the main tubes of the Ceneri Base Tunnel will start in spring 2010. Now they are still building some service caverns. 8 km by drill&blast to the north, 2 km drill&blast to the south, then 4 km either by drill&blast or TBM (it is still not decided).

I hope it opens faster than in 2017.

me 2, otherwise ill have to eat my hat IF the messina bridge is on time :o

Probably. About 3,5 km left in the eastern tube: http://www.tat-ti.ch/index.php?id=118&L=1

3.5 km to the Sedrun/Faido limit

Yes. From Sedrun to the limit there are maybe 700 m left.

A possible timetable for 2020.

dep = departure
arr = arrival
IC = InterCity = fast train (maybe EC EuroCity for trains to Milano)
IC = InterRegio = semi-fast local train

IC IR
arr dep arr dep
Basel - - - 6.05
Olten - - 6.27 6.32
Luzern - - 7.05 7.18
Zürich - 7.08 - -
Zug 7.30 7.32 - -
Arth Goldau 7.46 7.50 7.44 7.53

8 stops on the old line for the IR
no-stop throught the base tunnel for the IC

Bellinzona 8.39 8.41 9.56 9.58
Locarno - - 10.16 -
Lugano 8.53 8.55 - -
Chiasso ? ? - -
Como ? ? - -
Milano Centrale 9.50 - - -

Trains are alternated: first hour IR Basel-Locarno and IC Zürich-Milano, second hour IC Basel-Milano and IR Zürich-Locarno, and so on.

Trains are alternated: first hour IR Basel-Locarno and IC Zürich-Milano, second hour IC Basel-Milano and IR Zürich-Locarno, and so on.

Cocco, you're IRs effectively waste 20 minutes in the stations of Luzern and Arth-Goldau. Why? Are these terminus stations where the trains have to change direction?

Luzern is a terminus station, but there until 2008 IR trains changed loco and restarted in 7 minutes. The problem is mainly that there are 5 lines converging in Luzern that share 3 km of double track with flat junctions (as example a train leaving Luzern for Zürich cross the Basel-Luzern track delaying a train on this line), and this makes difficult or impossible a reduction of the waiting time in Luzern.

In Arth Goldau slow trains wait up to 9 minutes, but fast trains wait only up to 6 minutes. This allows good connection, ie from a Basel-Locarno local to a Zürich-Milano fast train, or viceversa, but also to/from St Gallen. IC trains leave Arth Goldau before IR trains, this avoids conflicts (because the fast train is ahead the slow one). And as IR trains are used mainly for local traffic, it isn't a problem if they are a little bit slower.

A possible timetable for 2020.


No need to guess, I have a copy of the actual timetable (with the note "to be adjusted for real journey times through tunnel"). Your version is almost entirely correct, off by one minute or less. No stop in Chiasso, Stop in Como at unknown time, arrival in Milano is 9:49. The journey time from Zurich to Milano is therefore cut from 3:41 to 2:41. That's not hugely impressive compared to some high speed lines, but the project's main purpose is increasing freight capacity so no high speed lines are being built to and from the tunnel.

Where do you have found your timetable?

The target is to arrive in Zürich and Milano just before minutes 00 or 30. That is, allow the greatest number of connections, not the shortest journey time.

I don't think this timetable is realistic, anyway. Between Milano and Lugano there will not be a new line by 2020, and as today with 1h of scheduled travel time most trains arrive some minutes late, I don't think it is possible to do this trip in 55 minutes instead of 60. Just look at train CIS 12 (http://cessoalpino.com/it/2009/trains/12/): it is nearly always 5 to 10 minutes late (total travel time between 1h05 and 1h10).

IC IR
arr dep arr dep
Milano Centrale - 7.10 - -
Como ? ? - -
Chiasso ? ? - -
Lugano 8.05 8.08 - -
Locarno - - - 6.44
Bellinzona 8.19 8.21 7.02 7.04
...
Arth Goldau 9.09 9.13 9.07 9.16
Zug 9.28 9.30 - -
Zürich 9.52 - - -
Luzern - - 9.42 9.54
Olten - - 10.27 10.32
Basel - - 10.55 -

http://img52.imageshack.us/img52/678/milestone.jpg

http://img52.imageshack.us/img52/678/milestone.jpg

does anyone have a clear picture of the Bodio south portal as i can precisely locate it on google earth

Google Maps is not up-to-date, anyway:
- Northern portal (http://maps.google.ch/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=it&geocode=&q=Erstfeld&sll=46.362093,9.036255&sspn=5.110198,9.832764&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=Erstfeld,+Uri,+Canton+Uri&ll=46.831418,8.6483&spn=0.004947,0.009602&t=k&z=17)
- Southern portal (http://maps.google.ch/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=it&geocode=&q=Bodio&sll=46.831418,8.6483&sspn=0.004947,0.009602&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=Bodio,+Leventina,+Ticino&ll=46.372917,8.923151&spn=0.009979,0.019205&t=k&z=16)

does anyone have a clear picture of the Bodio south portal as i can precisely locate it on google earth

http://img22.imageshack.us/img22/9403/bodio11.jpg

Alptransit.ch

http://videoportal.sf.tv/video?id=a5c5a086-7a71-47f5-b9c3-caa00609cddc

Will the capacity south of Chiasso be enough?

No :bash:

^^That's always the problem, isn't it? A massive increase in the capacity in one place almost always (except when the increase is designed to overcome an existing bottleneck...) creates capacity problems further down the line.

Similarly north of the portal. If you ask me, someone in Switzerland are going to bitterly regret not having started on a new base tunnel through the Jura much earlier. (Thank you, Herr Blocher!) Once Gotthard is open there's going to be so much traffic coming through that creaky old railway between Liestal and Egerkingen.

Exactly.

Anyway the capacity with the two base tunnels will be higher that today and passengers trains will gain one hour.

^^I don't deny that. But the traffic planners need to be nimble to avoid bottlenecks where two lines (i.e. the old Gotthard route and the new) merge back into one. I guess immediately north of Gotthard the remaining capacity constraint can be resolved through the construction of Zimmerberg 2? At that point the traffic can, I think, be conducted at a steady pace even at peak hours between Zurich and Ticino. My point was that the trains will not be able to continue apace further north on the line Zurich-Olten-Basle. There, the Jura mountains will remain a considerable bottleneck.

I found a presentation where an ingeneering professor gives his assessment of where the future bottlenecks will be. Sorry for not cut-and-pasting the relevant exhibit (I had a technical problem), it is on page 30:
http://litep.epfl.ch/webdav/site/litep/shared/05_Prof_U_Weidmann.pdf

Les idées et les projets doivent être évalués plus dûrement de la
côte économique, au dépit des aspects politiques.

This says that projects should be more carefully studied on their economical side (cost/benefit analysis, etc).

On the contrary, I think that there are too much discussions, and that these endless discussions canceled some very urgent projects, like the second part of the Zimmerberg Base Tunnel. The existing line has about 150 trains per day on a single track, and the conclusion is simple: build more tracks, or renounce to add more trains.

As of Zürich-Gotthard passenger trains, a solution may be to replace the existing hourly regional train Thalwil-Zug by buses, or to eliminate them at all, and use the freed space for intercity trains until the Zimmerberg 2 tunnels opens in 2120.

Freight trains to the Gotthard go via the Bözberg line instead of via the Zimmerberg line. On the map on page 29 of the same PDF is shown as passing neraby BS-LFG-BG-WO-RK-GD.

On the contrary, I think that there are too much discussions, and that these endless discussions canceled some very urgent projects, like the second part of the Zimmerberg Base Tunnel.

I think you may have misunderstood the author, Cocco. Objecting to the application of "political" rather than "economic" considerations could, at the current Swiss juncture, be read as a criticism of the way parliament punked "Bahn 2000, 2e Etape". (For the uninitiated: a second round of much-trumpeted follow-up investment money dedicated, in principle, to linking up with the main Gotthard line was seized by populist politicians and spent on minor upgrades in their local constituencies.) Surely, Zimmerberg 2 holds up better to economic analysis than line renovations in Eastern and Central Switzerland? :nuts:

I think that the projects incldued in Rail 2000 II part (also known as ZEB) are all important, but that they are not enough.

On page 25 on this document you can find the cost of other planned extensions:

http://www.utp.ch/Futur_developpement_de_l_infrastructure_ferroviaire_ZEB.html

These extensions would cost about 8 billion CHF and partly profit also to the Gotthard Base Tunnel (for about 3,5 billions).

The other acces lines to the GBT would cost 5 to 10 billions more but in my opinion they are not all urgent (the planned new Arth Goldau-Erstfeld line would cost 2 to 3 billions, but you can free capacity for freight trains also eliminating regional services, even if this is unpopular). Instead doubling the track of the Luino line is very urgent (or building a new parallel line).

^^Thanks for this clarification. I had heard of ZEB of course, but (erroneously) assumed that this was a separate undtertaking to be commenced after Rail 2000 II. I now understand from your posting that was was Rail 2000 II has now become the first phase of ZEB.

I note that - having been once burnt - UTP is now very careful to recommend only projects that serve as connections from the rest of Switzerland to the NEAT lines. (An earlier controversy arose about intentions to use earlier tranches of such funds to upgrade the Gotthard axis itself.) Even the prospective Zimmerberg 2 is portrayed as part of an upgraded link between Zurich and Luzern. Well, it would surely be useful in this context as well, but... :lol:

Rail 2000 first part = a group of improvements here and there, opened by stages until december 2004
Rail 2000 second part = ZEB/SIF = other improvements
Rail 2000 third part = ZEB 2/SIF 2 = Rail 2030 = sometimes known as "extensions" of the ZEB project

The Zimmerberg base tunnel was initially planned to be used also by freight trains leading to Zurich/Schaffhausen. The first part of this tunnel was financed by Rail 2000, the second part by AlpTransit. Now freight trains run via Wohlen (mainly because the existing Zimmerberg tunnel is single track and congested...). The ZBT 2 will be used for both passenger lines, Zürich-Luzern and Zürich-Gotthard, and maybe for freight trains.

wow, you guys really ran with the question

methinks it will be awesome when the train enters a tunnel just south of chiasso and comes out of it in downtown Zürich :D (ok, it will come to the surface near Lugano, Bellinzona and Bodio)

This is not for tomorrow :(

This is not for tomorrow :(


did they insert the tbms using the south potals of bodio or using the service tunnel on the left side of the portals

one other question, im planning to take a guided tour of the tunnel (bodio, then inside the faido section) does anyone know how far is the entrance of the service tunnel in faido from the actual tunnel?

The TBM were assembled inside the mountain via the tunnel on the right (near the yellow crane). It is 1,2 km long and it is now separated from the main tunnels by a wall, because it is now useless. It has been built because the two main tunnels run throught a section of difficult rock and sediments. The access tunnel has been built to shorten construction time: from the end of this tunnels boring started northwards with the two TBM, and southwards with explosive and other methods.

The Faido access tunnel is about 14 km from the Bodio portal, and the access tunnel itself is 2,6 km long.

The TBM were assembled inside the mountain via the tunnel on the right (near the yellow crane). It is 1,2 km long and it is now separated from the main tunnels by a wall, because it is now useless. It has been built because the two main tunnels run throught a section of difficult rock and sediments. The access tunnel has been built to shorten construction time: from the end of this tunnels boring started northwards with the two TBM, and southwards with explosive and other methods.

The Faido access tunnel is about 14 km from the Bodio portal, and the access tunnel itself is 2,6 km long.

thanks a lot, so from the serivce entrance tunnel in faido to the two railway tunnels there are 2,6km this i what you mean?

and the only remaning section to bore is part of the faido-sedrun section right?
will it be done with dynamite or tbms? i have a doubt about why if the tunnels are almost completed they will still take 8 years to finish all the work?

thanks a lot, so from the serivce entrance tunnel in faido to the two railway tunnels there are 2,6km this i what you mean?

Yes. But don't worry, it's a two lane road, you will be taken into the tunnel by a small bus :)

and the only remaning section to bore is part of the faido-sedrun section right?

Yes. TBM from the south (~3.5 km), drill&blast from the north (~1 km).

i have a doubt about why if the tunnels are almost completed they will still take 8 years to finish all the work?

I don't know! They want maybe consider some delay, like still unknown geological problems. I think that the "2017" after zhe last breakthrought will becole "2015".

Yes. But don't worry, it's a two lane road, you will be taken into the tunnel by a small bus :)



Yes. TBM from the south (~3.5 km), drill&blast from the north (~1 km).



I don't know! They want maybe consider some delay, like still unknown geological problems. I think that the "2017" after zhe last breakthrought will becole "2015".

thanks Croc, so there only just a little remaining for the tunnel to be totally complete right? Have you taken the tour,is it interesting?
One very last question, when did they start boring i mean in which year?

The first TBM started boring on 7th January 2003 in Bodio and will reach Sedrun next year: 8 years for 30 km.

http://www.tat-ti.ch/index.php?id=110&L=1

http://www.tat-ti.ch/index.php?id=116&L=1

I took the tours on open days (organized about one or two times a year on different construction sites), they are really interesting. But tours can be organized also at other times, if there is a sufficient number of visitors.

The first TBM started boring on 7th January 2003 in Bodio and will reach Sedrun next year: 8 years for 30 km.

http://www.tat-ti.ch/index.php?id=110&L=1

http://www.tat-ti.ch/index.php?id=116&L=1

I took the tours on open days (organized about one or two times a year on different construction sites), they are really interesting. But tours can be organized also at other times, if there is a sufficient number of visitors.


so in total 4 tbms , 2 north bound and 2 south bound + the dynamite ?

Yes.

From the south, they bored Bodio then Faido sections.

From the north, Amsteg then Erstfeld (in that order).

Three other TBMs were used: one for an exploratory tunnel in Faido (5,5 km), one for a service tunnel in Bodio (3,2 km), one for the second access tunnel for the Ceneri (2,3 km). Another TBM may be used at the Ceneri (2x4 km).

Yes.

From the south, they bored Bodio then Faido sections.

From the north, Amsteg then Erstfeld (in that order).

Three other TBMs were used: one for an exploratory tunnel in Faido (5,5 km), one for a service tunnel in Bodio (3,2 km), one for the second access tunnel for the Ceneri (2,3 km). Another TBM may be used at the Ceneri (2x4 km).


thank you very much, do you know anything about the Porta Alpina station, have they put the project on hold, or eventually it will be an operation station?

I doubt it as the only way of access is using lifts, i wonder in the Sedrun section where the ventilation tunnel is located, do you have any pictures of the actual tunnel going from the working plaza to the shaft area? as the webcams on the alpinetransit site dont update so often



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Eyhloe94qEM

Porta Alpina project has been canceled, even if provision has been made so that it could be built in future (some caverns have been built to host services, like waiting rooms for passengers).

There are two vertical shaft in Sedrun: one for maintenance, safety and if Porta Alpina will be built also for passengers, and one for ventilation only. I don't have photos riht now, but they may be on the websites of the builders: http://www.alptransit.ch/it/links/imprese/

At the top of the shaft there are two tunnels: one leads to Sedrun, is 1 km long and can be used by trucks and service trains, another is an inclined shaft for ventilation only. This one ends in a valley of the opposite side of the mountain than Sedrun.

The ventilation shaft is the triangle near B on this map: http://maps.google.ch/maps?f=d&source=s_d&saddr=Strada+sconosciuta&daddr=Strada+sconosciuta&hl=it&geocode=FX40yAIdxc-FAA%3BFUwCyAIdYN2FAA&mra=mi&mrsp=1,0&sz=18&sll=46.662128,8.772631&sspn=0.002481,0.004801&ie=UTF8&ll=46.662345,8.773141&spn=0.002481,0.004801&t=h&z=18

"A" is the access tunnel.

Porta Alpina project has been canceled, even if provision has been made so that it could be built in future (some caverns have been built to host services, like waiting rooms for passengers).

There are two vertical shaft in Sedrun: one for maintenance, safety and if Porta Alpina will be built also for passengers, and one for ventilation only. I don't have photos riht now, but they may be on the websites of the builders: http://www.alptransit.ch/it/links/imprese/

At the top of the shaft there are two tunnels: one leads to Sedrun, is 1 km long and can be used by trucks and service trains, another is an inclined shaft for ventilation only. This one ends in a valley of the opposite side of the mountain than Sedrun.

The ventilation shaft is the triangle near B on this map: http://maps.google.ch/maps?f=d&source=s_d&saddr=Strada+sconosciuta&daddr=Strada+sconosciuta&hl=it&geocode=FX40yAIdxc-FAA%3BFUwCyAIdYN2FAA&mra=mi&mrsp=1,0&sz=18&sll=46.662128,8.772631&sspn=0.002481,0.004801&ie=UTF8&ll=46.662345,8.773141&spn=0.002481,0.004801&t=h&z=18

"A" is the access tunnel.


thanks a lot croc, so the ventilation chamber hasnt been built yet on the mountain?

so there are actual service trains that go from the entrance "A" to the actual top of the shafts? or just trains running below in the tunnels?

do you think there is a chance to visit sedrun?

There isn't a "ventilation chamber", but a railway/road tunnel from A to the shafts, a ventilation tunnel partly inclined (by about 45°) from the shafts to B, and two vertical shafts.

Trains enter from A, board a lift in shaft 1 (shaft 2 is only for ventilation), then exit in a cavern 800 m below. About 2x6 km of main tunnels have been built from here, without other access until the boring reached Amsteg section.

There has been an open day this summer, the second since the construction started, but I don't know if and when there will be another occasion. I think yes, but not soon.

There isn't a "ventilation chamber", but a railway/road tunnel from A to the shafts, a ventilation tunnel partly inclined (by about 45°) from the shafts to B, and two vertical shafts.

Trains enter from A, board a lift in shaft 1 (shaft 2 is only for ventilation), then exit in a cavern 800 m below. About 2x6 km of main tunnels have been built from here, without other access until the boring reached Amsteg section.

There has been an open day this summer, the second since the construction started, but I don't know if and when there will be another occasion. I think yes, but not soon.


wow amazing that those service trains reach the bottom, wonder what the temperature is like down there..amazingly hot i suppose

is the geological consitency downthere pure rock?


so basically going south from sedrun the tunnels are still to bore for about 3km and 1km and going north its all clear and bored till erstfeld?

so the "B" spot the triangle the actual intake?

wow amazing that those service trains reach the bottom, wonder what the temperature is like down there..amazingly hot i suppose

It can reach 35°-40°, but it is lowered by ventilation.

is the geological consitency downthere pure rock?

Yes. Details of types of rock can be found on www.alptransit.ch website.

so basically going south from sedrun the tunnels are still to bore for about 3km and 1km and going north its all clear and bored till erstfeld?

Sedrun > north: finished
Sedrun > south: 1 km by drill&blast
Faido > north: 3,5 km by TBM

so the "B" spot the triangle the actual intake?

It is the portal of the ventilation shaft. I think that air in taken from there, and rejected via the other tunnel.

why is there a small section immediatly after the Northportal still not excavated?
http://www.alptransit.ch/en/status-of-the-work/gotthard-base-tunnel/subsection-erstfeld/

what about Zimmerberg? is that coming anytime soon?

why is there a small section immediatly after the Northportal still not excavated?
Probably because it's done in surface mining.

that little section made me wonder: where will the breakthrough be? there or in the middle of the mountain? :)

why is there a small section immediatly after the Northportal still not excavated?
http://www.alptransit.ch/en/status-of-the-work/gotthard-base-tunnel/subsection-erstfeld/

It is an artificial tunnel. It isn't excavated but built on the open air on the side of the mountain and it will later be covered.

http://www.alptransit.ch/en/photo-gallery/gotthard-base-tunnel/erstfeld/

what about Zimmerberg? is that coming anytime soon?

No :wallbash:

ah, thx

shame on zimmerberg
was it SVP and Blocher?

SVP/UDC is a political party and Bocher was his leader (he has resigned), usually against immigrants, foreign people, railways, the EU, and public expenditure in general. It is against all, in fact...

SVP/UDC is a political party and Bocher was his leader (he has resigned), usually against immigrants, foreign people, railways, the EU, and public expenditure in general. It is against all, in fact...
I respect your knowledge on the Neat, but it is not right now to start with the ever so popular SVP bashing in this thread. :ohno:
One of the fathers or the NEAT was in fact Mr. Ogi, a member of this party.
Lets not forget that Switzerland is building here a fantastic project costing dozends of billions WITHOUT any assistance from Europe.

I respect your knowledge on the Neat, but it is not right now to start with the ever so popular SVP bashing in this thread. :ohno:
One of the fathers or the NEAT was in fact Mr. Ogi, a member of this party.
Lets not forget that Switzerland is building here a fantastic project costing dozends of billions WITHOUT any assistance from Europe.

except for the tax imposed on trucks, a majority of which are non-swiss

except for the tax imposed on trucks, a majority of which are non-swiss
I heavily doubt that.

^^Well, there's tax and there's tax. As I recall it (and I lived in Basle in those years...) NEAT came about largely because of a stand-off between the Swiss and their neighbours. Switzerland imposed a ban on particularly heavy trucks. - A non-discriminatory ban, which applied to Swiss truckers as well, but it was seen as a deep blow on the trucking industries of Italy and Germany who depended heavily on the transit freight between North Italy and the Rhine Valley through the Alps. "What is the alternative to road haulage?", the neighbours asked. "Rail transport" answered the Swiss and, by logical extension of that thought, found themselves pushed down the road of massively improving the Alpine rail transit freight. The price is to be paid partly through the said tax (which may or may not be borne mainly by foreigners) AND THEN through the juicy rail charges the truckers pay to have their 18-wheelers pulled through Switzerland. This latter "tax" is to my knowledge payed almost exclusively by foreigners.

I respect your knowledge on the Neat, but it is not right now to start with the ever so popular SVP bashing in this thread. :ohno: One of the fathers or the NEAT was in fact Mr. Ogi, a member of this party.

Adolph Ogi was, I remind you, constantly in trouble with his own party for being too centrist. Only his huge popularity as a former skiing champion kept saving him. The fact that his powerbase was Frutigen could also have something to do with his great enthousiasm for NEAT.

I agree that there's not much point in bashing SVP as such, but I would like to bash part of their hinterland - namely an army of elderly, conservative rural hilbillies who hold that all shall remain as it is and become as it was. The first time the issue of a Wisenberg tunnel (base tunnel through the Jura mountains) was broached a roar of protest went up from the then-vocatious Schweizer Demokraten in Baselland and Soloturn. It was SCANDALOUS that anyone would disfigure their beautiful hills with ugly railroads, etc. etc. etc. Most of these old diehards totally missed the point that that tunnel was about getting the freight trains OUT of the Jura. - And, without putting too fine a point on it, the SVP has inherited a lot of that constituency.

^^Well, there's tax and there's tax. As I recall it (and I lived in Basle in those years...) NEAT came about largely because of a stand-off between the Swiss and their neighbours. Switzerland imposed a ban on particularly heavy trucks.

Sorry, but that's a strange kind of reconstruction of logic. The truck tax and the NEAT are not based on foreign policy, they are based on the Green movement for more environmentally-friendly transportation which started to gain momentum in the 70-ies. Of course, foreign policy was an important factor in supporting these environmental goals because road traffic is not only domestic, and especially because at that time neighbouring countries were not so advanced yet in these environmental areas (which is not so much the case anymore today).


Adolph Ogi was, I remind you, constantly in trouble with his own party for being too centrist. Only his huge popularity as a former skiing champion kept saving him.

Nearly every Bundesrat in history has been accused by its own party to be "too centrist" because that's the inherent difference between a member of government and a member of parliament. The first needs to implement the will of the majority of the population, the latter needs to gain a distinctive political profile and find a political niche.

Ogi was never a skiing champion, btw. Only president of the skiing federation.


The fact that his powerbase was Frutigen could also have something to do with his great enthousiasm for NEAT.

That's surely the case. Only his home is Kandersteg, not Frutigen, but it's closeby.


I agree that there's not much point in bashing SVP as such, but I would like to bash part of their hinterland - namely an army of elderly, conservative rural hilbillies who hold that all shall remain as it is and become as it was.

It is good that there are also conservative, green and right forces in a country.

Why attacking other people personally if they have a different political opionion? It would be better to fight with good arguments. These people are not less intelligent than you. They just have another perspective and other life experiences which are not less valuable and less true than yours.

Most of the time also the finances play an important part in such political struggles. I am a big fan of public transport and the child in me would like every big project to be realised as soon as possible. At the same time I am glad that there also more grown-up people in the political arena who are taking on the unpopular role to say "no" from time to time because they care about our children and grandchildren for them not having to pay a huge amount of debt that we are making for them. They should have some means left to also realise their own projects and not only pay dues and interests for our generation's projects.

^^Well, there's tax and there's tax. As I recall it (and I lived in Basle in those years...) NEAT came about largely because of a stand-off between the Swiss and their neighbours. Switzerland imposed a ban on particularly heavy trucks. - A non-discriminatory ban, which applied to Swiss truckers as well, but it was seen as a deep blow on the trucking industries of Italy and Germany who depended heavily on the transit freight between North Italy and the Rhine Valley through the Alps.
Switzerland raised the limit for trucks from 28t to 40t which is the EU standard. This was part of the Bilaterals 1 agreement.
"What is the alternative to road haulage?", the neighbours asked. "Rail transport" answered the Swiss and, by logical extension of that thought, found themselves pushed down the road of massively improving the Alpine rail transit freight. The price is to be paid partly through the said tax (which may or may not be borne mainly by foreigners) AND THEN through the juicy rail charges the truckers pay to have their 18-wheelers pulled through Switzerland. This latter "tax" is to my knowledge payed almost exclusively by foreigners.

It's the peoples whish that alpine transit traffic should be done by train, the majority of the people voted yes on the alpeninitative: http://www.alpine-initiative.ch/e/Home.asp

The charges you pay to get your track pulled through on the trains only pay of the cost for this service. So that's hardly a tax. The LSVA is a normal tax that is paid by any truck similar to the mount in other countries.

I dont know what your problem is.

If the swiss want funds from the EU budget, maybe they should enter the EU. Oh wait, they dont want that. Well then..

except for the tax imposed on trucks, a majority of which are non-swiss

The tax is based on the tonnage of the truck and the distance it covers. The tax on trucks is paid by all trucks, so, considering also the other sources of money, the AlpTransit project is paid only for a small part by foreign trucks. I don't have precise figures, but I think that only 15 to 20% of money come from european trucks, and still, not directly from the European Union.

About the UDC/SVP: I don't like some positions of that party. Obviously this doesn't mean that all its ideas and all its politicians are stupid. But I don't want to start a political war.

I dont know what your problem is.
I just wanted to clarify, that most of the LSVA is paid by Swiss thats all.

I just wanted to clarify, that most of the LSVA is paid by Swiss thats all.

Allright then

Switzerland raised the limit for trucks from 28t to 40t which is the EU standard. This was part of the Bilaterals 1 agreement.

Mmwell, yes. But, for my general health and happiness, wasn't it part of the deal that the Eidsgenossen could continue levying abusive taxes and fees on foriegn lorries? I thought it was, though - having by then left CH - I could be mistaken.

It's the peoples whish that alpine transit traffic should be done by train, the majority of the people voted yes on the alpeninitative.

So what? I mean... I had this discussion with my Swiss live-in girlfriend some 15 years ago. She was apalled that neighbouring countries might want to penalise Switzerland for something that had been "de-mo-cra-ti-cal-ly decided - BY re-fe-ren-dum". But... just to take a flippant example, the outrageous foreign policies of ancient Athens were also decided upon by referendum. Foreigners would - in my opinion - have the right to disagree and bring harsh retributions to bear not on politicians (who would, well..., be innocent) but on individual citizens who and by their votes contributed to an outcome that the neighbouring countries did not like. If the Swiss voted against 40 tonners in the Urnertal then, in my view, the French and the Italians did very, very well to take actions to hurt ordinary Swiss citizens as well as they possibly could. This is, again in my view, just punishment to Innerschweitzer who thought their local magouilles were more important than the greater European reality.

That's surely the case. Only his [Ogi's] home is Kandersteg, not Frutigen, but it's closeby.

Railcity, ich frage mich ob wir die selbe Sprache sprechen. (I ask myself if we speak the same language.) I was mentioning this in the context of Doelf Ogi's political activity and - as I should think you know - Kandersteg is part of the the political consituency ("Amtsbezirk") of Frutigen. - This I found out about when in my youth I studied the voting results from the EWR-Abstimmung (EEA vote) which tipped spectacularly against the "Altbundesrat" in, yes, Frutigen.

It is good that there are also conservative, green and right forces in a country.

Why attacking other people personally if they have a different political opionion? It would be better to fight with good arguments. These people are not less intelligent than you. They just have another perspective and other life experiences which are not less valuable and less true than yours.

It is certainly good to have people with different political directions in a country. For the record: I vote conservative in my native Denmark, although I must admit that the Danish conservative party is to the left of both LDP and Bill Clinton - and our rightwing xenophobic "Dansk Folkeparti" is to the left of SVP. I do not, however...

...subscribe to the notion that the political attitudes of person X can be - by definition - just as good as those of person Y. 15 years in Paris have convinced me that the value that can be attached to a person's political judgment depends in large measure on his/her educational attainment. If they have not made a "grande ecole" then "faut se mefier de ces especes de petits cons". :)

Mmwell, yes. But, for my general health and happiness, wasn't it part of the deal that the Eidsgenossen could continue levying abusive taxes and fees on foriegn lorries?
Foreign lorries pay excactly the same taxes (even down to the single Rappen) as the Swiss lorries.
If the Swiss voted against 40 tonners in the Urnertal then, in my view, the French and the Italians did very, very well to take actions to hurt ordinary Swiss citizens as well as they possibly could.
Other countries should decide what kind of trucks are allowed on our streets. Sorry that is in no way conform to the souveregnity of our nation, acutally any nation recognized by UN charta.

Other countries should decide what kind of trucks are allowed on our streets. Sorry that is in no way conform to the souveregnity of our nation, acutally any nation recognized by UN charta.

Those UN charta also allow nations to decide about their own anti-trust policy, their own passport practices, etc. etc. However, such countries as Germany, Austria, Italy and France (all the neighbours of CH in other words, except for tiny FL) have all agreed to forfeit those sovereign privilieges in the interest of European cohesion. This doesn't mean that the Eidsgenossenschaft is wrong, obviously. But, it does mean that the Swiss are... (well :lol:) die Letzten, die Allerletzten... if they want to maintain sovereignty over transport policy which - in 27 other European countries - has been pooled in Brussels.

So what? I mean... I had this discussion with my Swiss live-in girlfriend some 15 years ago. She was apalled that neighbouring countries might want to penalise Switzerland for something that had been "de-mo-cra-ti-cal-ly decided - BY re-fe-ren-dum". But... just to take a flippant example, the outrageous foreign policies of ancient Athens were also decided upon by referendum. Foreigners would - in my opinion - have the right to disagree and bring harsh retributions to bear not on politicians (who would, well..., be innocent) but on individual citizens who and by their votes contributed to an outcome that the neighbouring countries did not like. If the Swiss voted against 40 tonners in the Urnertal then, in my view, the French and the Italians did very, very well to take actions to hurt ordinary Swiss citizens as well as they possibly could. This is, again in my view, just punishment to Innerschweitzer who thought their local magouilles were more important than the greater European reality.

Strange kind of power rhetoric. Reminds me somehow of the times before 1st World War with the childish power struggle of the dynasties. It would never come to my mind to "punish Italian people" for the taxes they ask on their street on their own territory. That's their own decision. Who am I to judge it?


Railcity, ich frage mich ob wir die selbe Sprache sprechen. (I ask myself if we speak the same language.) I was mentioning this in the context of Doelf Ogi's political activity and - as I should think you know - Kandersteg is part of the the political consituency ("Amtsbezirk") of Frutigen. - This I found out about when in my youth I studied the voting results from the EWR-Abstimmung (EEA vote) which tipped spectacularly against the "Altbundesrat" in, yes, Frutigen.

Ah, so it's about the statistics you read. Amtsbezirke in the Canton of Berne didn't have a big importance and actually they don't exist anymore today.

Why spectacularly? The opinion of a politician never had an influence on what people were voting in the home region of that politician.

In contrary. People from your home region know you personally, so it's more difficult to fool these people with nice words than people not from your home region.


It is certainly good to have people with different political directions in a country. For the record: I vote conservative in my native Denmark, although I must admit that the Danish conservative party is to the left of both LDP and Bill Clinton - and our rightwing xenophobic "Dansk Folkeparti" is to the left of SVP.

Well, and SVP is in terms of eg. migration policy less conservative than the German SPD of Schröder or the Italian Unione of Prodi during their government spells.


I do not, however......subscribe to the notion that the political attitudes of person X can be - by definition - just as good as those of person Y. 15 years in Paris have convinced me that the value that can be attached to a person's political judgment depends in large measure on his/her educational attainment. If they have not made a "grande ecole" then "faut se mefier de ces especes de petits cons". :)

Not really encouraging. I'm an academic myself and academics are surely the most brainwashed people (while often not aware of it). The more you know, the less you know. It's these academics with missing understanding of the reality that have been pushing Europe from catastrophy to catastrophy in the past.

Strange kind of power rhetoric. Reminds me somehow of the times before 1st World War with the childish power struggle of the dynasties. It would never come to my mind to "punish Italian people" for the taxes they ask on their street on their own territory. That's their own decision. Who am I to judge it?

I think you're mistaken. I'm working in the thick of the international political economy, and I can assure you that even today states can be extremely vindictive. One of the more ridiculous examples is the Bush administration pulling out all the stoppers to see "loyal London" rather than "treacherous Paris" win the 2012 Olympics in what amounted to a tit for tat over France's objections to the Iraq invasion.

I further assure you that if - purely as an example - Portugal were to prevent, or slap heavy taxes on, Spanish road access to Portuguese deep sea ports then there would be a blistering retribution from Madrid aimed at hurting Portuguese interests in other, and perhaps unrelated, policy areas. My problem with your argument (which was also the argument of my "ex") is, why should this be any different just because the decision that hurts the neighbouring country was made by referendum? The Swiss sometimes talk about the popular vote as if this lifts a decision to a different moral level, but from the perspective of a neighbouring country this will often not be the case.

States routinely lash out, for example, at the business groups in other countries that have lobbied particularly strongly for "offending legislation". Recent examples include US tariffs on white wines (aimed at hurting the French wine industry) and EU tariffs on motorbikes (aimed at making Bush lose the public vote in Wisconsin by hurting Harley-Davidson). I admit it would be more unusual to aim retributions at individuals of a given nationality, but if it is they who have triggered the dissatisfaction in the neighbouring country, whyever not?

Not really encouraging. I'm an academic myself and academics are surely the most brainwashed people (while often not aware of it).

C'mon, I was cracking a joke to my own cost, by exacerbating my supposedly elitist Parisian ways. But, well.... I should have known from painful past experience that "die Deutschschweitzer" have a big problem with comprehending self irony. :ohno:

Foreign lorries pay excactly the same taxes (even down to the single Rappen) as the Swiss lorries.

From Basel to Chiasso a truck pays 200 € on average. Crossing the Fréjus or Mont Blanc tunnels costs 300 € in tolls (also considering nearby motorways), crossing the Brenner should be around 100 €.

The opening date has been anticipated from December to june 2017. A new opening date will be defined next June (2010).

im hoping early 2016

from alptransit.ch:
As of December 1, 2009, of the total of 151.84 km of tunnels, galleries and passages of the Gotthard Base Tunnel, 141.28 km, or 93 %, had been excavated. The total amount driven in November 2009 was 1311 m.

In the north portal of the Ceneri Base Tunnel at Vigana, driving under the A2 motorway continues. At Sigirino, the north-west drives in the caverna operativa (CAOP) are complete. In the south-west tunnel, driving continues with good advance rates. During September, work began on rerouting the Swiss Federal Railway line at Vezia.

summer 2010 :banana:

The opening date has been anticipated from December to june 2017. A new opening date will be defined next June (2010).

Good news!
Source?

I really hope after Swiss are satisfied with they brand-new railway tunnel, which is expected to divert freight from highways, they start reconsidering digging a second St. Gottard road bore - and so the Italians and French should start studying a second bore either in Fréjus or Mont Blanc.

^^The plans for a railway base tunnel between southern France and northwestern Italy are already very progressed. You can take a look here: http://www.lyon-turin.info/.

The main reason real works haven't started yet, as far as I know, is that the Italians have been held up by public resistance in the affected areas west of Turin. Seeing as it was the Italian government who initially pushed the strongest for this railway link, the French have been content to sit back and say "dear neighbours, come back when you've decided".

^^
The railroadtrack will be ready in 2023.
Costs: €7.310.000.000

Good news!
Source?

A conference made by swiss and italian representatives held in Malpensa Airport last friday (27th November). At the same time they promised to restore the hourly service between Bellinzona, Lugano, Como and Milano before 2013, but if possible in 2011 (there were one train per hour until December 2008, but next week service will be reduced to one train every two hours :wallbash: absolutely non-competitive considering than car is often faster than train in this case).

I really hope after Swiss are satisfied with they brand-new railway tunnel, which is expected to divert freight from highways, they start reconsidering digging a second St. Gottard road bore.

If politics manage to reach what they promised (no more than 650.000 throught the four swiss transalpine main roads, 80% of them throught the Gotthard), then maybe a second tube could be built...if financed. No infrastructure can be built in Switzerland if not 100% financed, and no infrastructure is built without some decades of discussions and cost-benefit analysis. And in the case of the Gotthard road tunnel the argument is also that there are queues only in summer, but, as other motorways are more congested throught the year, money should be used there instead of the Gotthard.

And so the Italians and French should start studying a second bore either in Fréjus or Mont Blanc.

AADT of the two Italy-France tunnels is very low, about 5.000 (varying between 4.000 and 6.000 in summer). There is sometimes in summer a queue of about 1 to 2 hours at the Mont Blanc, but not very often. I don't think they really need a second tube...

I don't think they really need a second tube...
Not at those insane prices.:nuts:

With tolls at € 30, they should be able to finance it. However, I usually manage to avoid queues at Mont. Blanc in summer taking a "detour" through St. Bernard Tunnel. Many italians who drive yearly to France and don't live in the area ignore this third very convenient bore.

A conference made by swiss and italian representatives held in Malpensa Airport last friday (27th November).

Grazie!
I've seen the TV report (http://la1.rsi.ch/home/networks/la1/ilquotidiano.html?po=a781e454-a4b1-4302-bfd3-c0803c0b11d1&pos=4b57ddb9-448f-4327-93e9-01336427aff3&date=&stream=low#tabEdition).
There was also a discussion between Mariolini and Raffaele Cattaneo...

Non mancano perplessità, come quelle espresse dalla municipale luganese Nicoletta Mariolini. Quest'ultima si è detta preoccupata del deterioramento dei collegamenti tra Ticino e Milano ed ha pure espresso dubbi "per i tempi di percorrenza sempre più lunghi e per il prospettato aumento delle tariffe del 40-45%".

Una frecciata che ha procato la reazione dell'assessore alle infrastrutture della Regione Lombardia Raffaele Cattaneo, che ha esortato la collega a "non fare graduatorie di bravura o di risultati", pur ammettendo ritardi per il prolungamente di Alptransit a sud di Chiasso.

CdT

A report of the conference can be read here (in Italian): http://forum.milanotrasporti.org/viewtopic.php?f=18&t=3515&start=240#p256190

A report of the conference can be read here (in Italian): http://forum.milanotrasporti.org/viewtopic.php?f=18&t=3515&start=240#p256190

Very interesting!
Thanks!

You guys really get things done! Unfortunately over here we have an "Opposition": to anything. Allegedly it's called the Westminster System, but that's just a rumour. The upshot is, get nothing done.

Works are progressing on the line south of the Gotthard Base Tunnel. Some photos of today 6 Decembre 2009.

The lines is more or less this blue line:

http://maps.google.ch/maps/ms?ie=UTF8&hl=it&msa=0&ll=46.354067,8.960896&spn=0.02109,0.038581&t=k&z=15&msid=108815325289919044532.00047a152941cfe9fccfb

Depot of the narrow gauge service trains.

http://i48.tinypic.com/wrnqsy.jpg

Towards north. On the right lies the building near the "B" on the map.

Map: http://maps.google.ch/maps?f=d&source=s_d&saddr=Biasca&daddr=46.364477,8.938869&hl=it&geocode=CSnP1-_ohankFQlmwwIdmOKIACll4tpNPVOERzEgPxlAiP8ABA%3B&mra=mi&mrsp=1&sz=17&sll=46.364499,8.937914&sspn=0.00499,0.009602&ie=UTF8&ll=46.363933,8.938714&spn=0.002495,0.004801&t=k&z=18

http://i49.tinypic.com/2dlnrpx.jpg

Same location looking south.

http://i45.tinypic.com/e8pf8x.jpg

The single track that allows trains to go to Biasca station. Most trains will go straight on the new line.

http://i48.tinypic.com/1zccyrk.jpg

Bridge over a river and a short artificial tunnel under a motorway junction. Here the line has three tracks to allow fast trains to overtake slower ones.

Map: http://maps.google.ch/maps?f=d&source=s_d&saddr=Biasca&daddr=46.35785,8.954217&hl=it&geocode=CSnP1-_ohankFQlmwwIdmOKIACll4tpNPVOERzEgPxlAiP8ABA%3B&mra=mi&mrsp=1&sz=18&sll=46.357591,8.955182&sspn=0.002495,0.004801&ie=UTF8&ll=46.356207,8.955252&spn=0.004991,0.01369&t=k&z=17

http://i48.tinypic.com/n6eu7d.jpg
http://i47.tinypic.com/25f4r4k.jpg

Service trains and one of the buildings used to load service trains with the new tracks and equipments to be installed into the tunnel.

http://i50.tinypic.com/11t5377.jpg
http://i45.tinypic.com/117efev.jpg
http://i49.tinypic.com/15ckkcj.jpg

Here ends the track built until today, and a few metres after also the line.

http://i46.tinypic.com/2iivkih.jpg
http://i48.tinypic.com/2a4vee1.jpg

The railway ends nowhere some hundreds metres from the existing line: the junction between the two has not yet been built. In the future the line will enter the 8 km long Riviera tunnel. You can see the cylindric building also in the map.

Map: http://maps.google.ch/maps?f=d&source=s_d&saddr=Biasca&daddr=46.331476,8.977134&hl=it&geocode=CSnP1-_ohankFQlmwwIdmOKIACll4tpNPVOERzEgPxlAiP8ABA%3B&mra=mi&mrsp=1&sz=18&sll=46.331476,8.977337&sspn=0.002497,0.004801&ie=UTF8&t=k&z=18

http://i48.tinypic.com/11mcpb4.jpg

^^

thx!! i often wondered how they will continue this part but didnt find any info about it

will this part also be 250 kph?

will this part also be 250 kph?

Yes, but trains will probably run slower to increase capacity.

Für den Güter, die Bahn!

http://forumfiles.milanotrasporti.org/Coccodrillo/Leventina_6dic2009/images/DSC04780.JPG

Other photos: http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?p=47452417#post47452417

Warning: A lazy question.


Hello everyone. I have a confession. I don't have time right now to do any web research, not even time enough to read through all the previous pages of this thread.

So I'm going to ask a question about an issue that I'm sure has already come up in discussion before, so please forgive me if this gives you a feeling of deja vu.

My question relates to the situation regarding the approach lines that will connect to the new Gotthard Tunnel.

Reading the latest edition of the Hupac magazine 'Moving' yesterday, it seems as though it will be 2030 at the earliest that the Alpine crossing via the new Gotthard Tunnel will be capable of handling 4m-high unaccompanied piggyback trains.

Does anyone know why there is no political urgency in Switzerland to adjust the approach lines to the new Gotthard Tunnel to give them a ‘P400’ piggyback loading gauge in time for the opening of the new tunnel?

It just seems a bit silly to me to invest so much time and money into the longest tunnel in the world, only to have to wait several years after the opening of it for the connecting infrastructure to be modified to the most useful intermodal standard.

Piggyback trains carrying trucks will be routed via the Simplon-Lötschberg line, 50 km west and already at the gabarit C (PC80) loading gauge. There may be also a service on the Gotthard, but only for low height trucks.

But the target is mainly to increase classical intermodal traffic (containers, or semi-trailers without the engine) and wagonload traffic (single wagons or entire trains).

Piggyback trains like Eurotunnel are unefficient because they transport also the engines, not only goods.

The problem is that containers must use special low floor wagons, more expensive to maintain, like the one in the photo below. So at the moment loads requiring the bigger gabarit C (PC80) loading gauge will use the other AlpTransit line, as the Gotthard will initially be limited to gabarit B1 (PC45).

The main problem is not the loading gauge but the congestion of access lines. As some of them are in Italy, Switzerland can't do much.

http://i49.tinypic.com/167qzxl.jpg

(photo by myself, Piacenza station 3 Dec 2009)

Update maps can be seen here:
http://map.search.ch/pollegio
http://map.search.ch/frutigen
http://map.search.ch/st.german

Piggyback trains carrying trucks will be routed via the Simplon-Lötschberg line, 50 km west and already at the gabarit C (PC80) loading gauge. There may be also a service on the Gotthard, but only for low height trucks.

In the end it goes down to the compromise to build two axes with the same money that actually one axis would cost if it's build fully operational. If the money of the Loetschberg would have been used on the Gotthard it would have been a better solution for all. But federalism was more important. After all politics are important as well, as there is where the money is coming from.

So why don't they make one bore northbound only, and the other southbound only?

Because the two lines are parallel but with a lot of passenger traffic, that obviously wants to go in both direction.

The Lötschberg Base Tunnel itself is used mainly in one direction, to maximise capacity. Roughly with two northbound trains (of which 1 passenger) then four southbound trains (1 passenger), because southbound trains are usually heavier and the tunnel has 22 km of single track without passing loops.

http://www.bueker.net/trainspotting/map.php?file=maps/switzerland/switzerland.gif

Will they have autotrain service in any of those tunnels, to haul cars over double deck platforms?

No.

There is a project to make a service like Eurotunnel on the Lötschberg, but to do this it has to be entirely doubled, but there are no plans to do that.

However there are car shuttles on the old Lötschberg railway (and on other swiss railways).

Damm. No second Gotthard road bore, no car shuttle on Lotschberg tunnel... Now that Swiss politics are leaning right, who knows if they vote to lift the ban on extra transalpine road capacity, or at least lift it in regard of car traffic.

Then, they could also (in addition to 2nd Gotthard road bore) connect Bern with Spiz via road tunnels and higways, and further plan to build a tunnel under Simplon Pass to increase acess from Italy to Southwest Switzerland. The road pass is quite dangerous, crowded in summer, closed in winter, and the Domodossola car shuttle is slow and expensive (I'd rather pay € 40 to cross over a tunnel).

The Lötschberg base tunnel with a car shuttle service has been choosen also as alternative for a fast road under the Rawil pass (including a 10 km road tunnel). There are no discussions for a road tunnel throught the Lötschberg (or the Rawil) and the only link other than the road near Lake Geneva is the Lötschberg car shuttle.

The Simplon Pass is always open and with an AADT of less than 3.000 I don't think it needs a tunnel.

Traffic on the Gotthard motorway vary between 10.000 and 40.000 vehicles/day so a second road tunnel is considered not urgent (there are always endless discussions before a project can start in Switzerland, especially about cost/benefit analysis). Personally, I would vote for a second road tunnel if and only if the target of less than 650.000 trucks is reached.

Piggyback trains carrying trucks will be routed via the Simplon-Lötschberg line, 50 km west and already at the gabarit C (PC80) loading gauge. There may be also a service on the Gotthard, but only for low height trucks.

But the target is mainly to increase classical intermodal traffic (containers, or semi-trailers without the engine) and wagonload traffic (single wagons or entire trains).

Piggyback trains like Eurotunnel are unefficient because they transport also the engines, not only goods.

The problem is that containers must use special low floor wagons, more expensive to maintain, like the one in the photo below. So at the moment loads requiring the bigger gabarit C (PC80) loading gauge will use the other AlpTransit line, as the Gotthard will initially be limited to gabarit B1 (PC45).

The main problem is not the loading gauge but the congestion of access lines. As some of them are in Italy, Switzerland can't do much.



If you re-read my entry, you'll see that I am referring to unaccompanied intermodal trains carrying semi-trailers. These kind of trains are called piggyback trains.

The trains carrying complete trucks, like the Alpine Ro-La services and the Eurotunnel shuttles are not piggyback by definiton. They are rolling-road by definition.

So, as I say, for Hupac, and by implication, kombiverkehr and Cemat also, the fact that new Gotthard Tunnel will open in 2015 or there abouts means little, because the connecting lines will not be cleared for 4m-high unaccompanied semi-trailers until 2030 at the earliest.

Hence my question. Is there any pressure within Switzerland to bring forward the work to clear the whole Gotthard route to the P400 gauge?

If you read the latest edition of 'Moving', available from the Hupac website, you'll get confirmation of what I'm talking about.

Hence my question. Is there any pressure within Switzerland to bring forward the work to clear the whole Gotthard route to the P400 gauge?

No, because...

Piggyback trains carrying trucks will be routed via the Simplon-Lötschberg line, 50 km west and already at the gabarit C (PC80) loading gauge. There may be also a service on the Gotthard, but only for low height trucks.

RoLa trains will go via the Lötschberg, on the Gotthard there will be only trains (RoLa or piggibacks) with the smaller gabarit B1 loading gauge (but the new line itself, where built, has the biggest loading gauge, EBV4/gabarit C/PC80, depending on the definition).

They are enlarging old tunnels on the access lines for double deck passenger trains, but I'm not sure that they will reach the gabarit C/EBV4/PC80/etc loading gauge.

I will read Moving later, now I haven't time.

Some photos of the existing line: http://www.ferrovie.it/ferrovie.vis/timdettvp.php?id=1154

Today it is closed because of a rock fall. Passenger trains replaced by buses.

Reading the latest edition of the Hupac magazine 'Moving' yesterday, it seems as though it will be 2030 at the earliest that the Alpine crossing via the new Gotthard Tunnel will be capable of handling 4m-high unaccompanied piggyback trains.

I haven't found a similar map about swiss lines, but for Italy, there is: http://www.rfi.it/cms-file/allegati/rfi/pir/planimetria3.pdf

Edit: also for Switzerland: http://www.admin.ch/ch/d/ff/2002/3305.pdf (pages 40 and 41) and http://tinyurl.com/yze4qbw

English description of the LBT: http://www.srp.ch/de/referenzen/publikationenreferate/0252-03-004-MA.pdf and http://www.ita-aites.org/cms/fileadmin/filemounts/general/pdf/ItaAssociation/ProductAndPublication/ConfPapersExCo/78.PDF

Loading gauge around Basel (page 6): http://www.eisenbahnfreunde-wehr.de/Aktuell/KnotenBasel.pdf

the Domodossola car shuttle is slow and expensive (I'd rather pay € 40 to cross over a tunnel).
Yes, it's expensive but Simplon's tunnel it's 21 km long and there is a train shuttle...at least, you save gasoline.
But the official website gives 13 € http://mct.sbb.ch/mct/fr/reisemarkt/services/im-zug/zuege/autoverlad-uebersicht/autoverlad/autoverlad-preise.htm
Don't forget that you pay 34 € to cross Mont Blanc tunnel and Frejus tunnel: they are shortest (almost 12 km) than Simplon.

Status of Work on the Gotthard and Ceneri - 02.01.2010

As of January 1, 2010, of the total of 151.84 km of tunnels, galleries and passages of the Gotthard Base Tunnel, 141.82 km, or 93.4 %, had been excavated. The total amount driven in December 2009 was 538 m.

In the north portal of the Ceneri Base Tunnel at Vigana, driving under the A2 motorway continues. At Sigirino, the north-west drives in the caverna operativa (CAOP) are complete. In the south-west tunnel, driving continues with good advance rates. During September, work began on rerouting the Swiss Federal Railway line at Vezia.

Source: www.alptransit.ch/en/news/article/2010/01/02/bezeichnung/.

Status of Work on the Gotthard and Ceneri

As of February 1, 2010, of the total of 151.84 km of tunnels, galleries and passages of the Gotthard Base Tunnel, 142.48 km, or 93.84 %, had been excavated. The total amount driven in January 2009 was 664 m.

Of the total of 40.19 km of the Ceneri Base Tunnel, at the end of January 2010, 7,637 m, or 19%, had been excavated.

Alptransit.ch

^^Now, of course, comes the most frustrating wait. The raw drilling finished on all major sections except one. From now on we'll be lucky to get 0.6% progress per month. After that there'll be a big celebration of the accomplished connection between Uri and Ticino, following which... it will take years and years before they have converted the raw tunnel to finished product, then laid the tracks, then done the signalling... Hum. Things take time. But, I so look forward to taking the train through that mountain! :cheers:

^^Now, of course, comes the most frustrating wait. The raw drilling finished on all major sections except one. From now on we'll be lucky to get 0.6% progress per month. After that there'll be a big celebration of the accomplished connection between Uri and Ticino, following which... it will take years and years before they have converted the raw tunnel to finished product, then laid the tracks, then done the signalling... Hum. Things take time. But, I so look forward to taking the train through that mountain! :cheers:

It might go faster than you think. The main breaktrough is expected for november this year. They will also start installing track and signaling in those sections that are completely finished this year. Right now it looks like the tunnel wil be finished for the Dec 2016 timetable change.

This will be one of the most lengthy construction threads here on SSC! :yes: :D

Innengewölbe Oströhre Los 151 Erstfeld in Angriff genommen
Das Innengewölbe der Oströhre im Los 151 Erstfeld (Länge 6.8 km) ist in Angriff genommen worden.

Am 09.02.2010 ist der erste Block des Innengewölbes der Oströhre im Los 151 Erstfeld betoniert worden. Insgesamt sind im Einspurtunnel rund 680 Blöcke à 10 m Länge zu betonieren (siehe beiliegendes Bild). Das 380 m lange Verzweigungsbauwerk wird in einer zweiten Phase verkleidet.

Mit den 6 Schalungen (3 Schalungseinheiten) werden nach der Anlaufphase im Regelfall pro Tag 50 - 60 m Einspurtunnel betoniert. Im beiliegenden pdf-file ist der Ablauf der Gewölbebetonarbeiten einer Schalungseinheit schematisch dargestellt.

From http://www.agn-amsteg.ch/aktuelles/detailinfo/article/45/7.html

In short: the firts 10 metre block out of 680 of the eastern tube in the Erstfeld section has been fileld with concrete on February 9th. At 50 to 60 per day for each tube the work may be completed in 4 to 6 months.

^^
Danke sehr for the link but you forgot to post the picture...:nono: ;)
http://www.agn-amsteg.ch/uploads/media/Innengewoelbe_Amsteg_1_01.jpg

In short: the first 10 metre block out of 680 of the eastern tube in the Erstfeld section has been filled with beton on February 9th. At 50 to 60 per day for each tube the work may be completed in 4 to 6 months.
What's this? You need to be a bit more concrete at this point.

Sorry, I have written that word in French. With "beton" I meant "concrete".

The blue structure that runs on rail shown in the photo is used to built a 10 m section of concrete lining. There are a total of 680 bocks of 10 m each for each tube of the Erstfeld section.

For those who understand Italian, here the first part of the documentary "Il sogno infranto" (which means "The broken dream"), about life in the tunnel and out of the tunnel.

Il sogno infranto (http://info.rsi.ch/it/home/networks/la1/svizzeraedintorni.html?po=ab85f38a-7f89-4be0-9d0d-ea3f925681b4&date=18.02.2010#tabEdition)

(Swiss Television, February 18th 2010).

Part two will follow.

Part two will follow.

Il sogno infranto - II (http://info.rsi.ch/it/home/networks/la1/svizzeraedintorni.html?po=695f94ed-353a-476d-98d5-6816ce639d34&date=19.02.2010#tabEdition)

Status of work on Ceneri and Gotthard:

As of March 1, 2010, of the total of 151.84 km of tunnels, galleries and passages of the Gotthard Base Tunnel, 143.8 km, or 94.7 %, had been excavated. The total amount driven in February 2010 was 1318 m.

Of the total of 40.19 km of the Ceneri Base Tunnel, at the end of February 2010, 7,673 m, or 19.1%, had been excavated.

Boring of the main tunnels of the Ceneri Base Tunnel will start in October 2010.

http://info.rsi.ch/it/home/networks/la1/ilquotidiano.html?po=af1bfe89-ace1-4d0f-860f-c463c4fc97f1&pos=cd267370-f889-449c-bd9e-13762a2faaeb&date=&stream=low#tabEdition

Ceneri Base Tunnel: Blast-driving the main tunnel from Sigirino begins

10.03.2010

Today, Wednesday, March 10, 2010, the main work for driving the Ceneri Base Tunnel was started with an official first blast in the installations cavern at Sigirino.

„With the start of blasting, the actual driving work for the Ceneri Base Tunnel has now also begun“, commented Renzo Simoni, Chief Executive Officer of AlpTransit Gotthard Ltd. „This brings the vision of a flat route through the Alps closer all the time.”

Drilling and blasting are being performed by the Condotte Cossi Consortium. The Condotte Cossi Consortium is composed of the companies Società Italiana per Condotte d’Acqua S.p.A. (Rome), Cossi S.p.A. (Sondrio) and Cossi SA (Lugano).

In the next few months, installations that are needed for driving the two railway tunnels of the Ceneri Base Tunnel will be put into place. The construction site should be ready for full-scale driving in the autumn of 2010.

Excavation, support and lining work should be finished in 2016. The railway infrastructure will then be installed. Commercial operation of the Ceneri Base Tunnel with scheduled train services is planned to start at the end of 2019.

With a length of 15.4 km between the north portal at Vigana, near Camorino, and the south portal at Vezia, near Lugano, after the Gotthard and Lötschberg Base Tunnels the Ceneri Base Tunnel is the third-largest tunnel project in Switzerland. Only with the Ceneri Base Tunnel as the continuation and extension of the Gotthard Base Tunnel will the new Gotthard line become a continuous flat route for freight traffic through Switzerland.

Construction status of the Gotthard Base Tunnel

In total, almost 95% of the approximately 151.8 kilometres of shafts, passages and tunnels of the Gotthard Base Tunnel have now been excavated. The first final breakthrough of the 57-kilometres-long Gotthard Base Tunnel is scheduled to take place in the east tunnel in the autumn of 2010. To reach this point, a further 3 km remain for the miners to excavate between Sedrun and Faido.

The drive in the west tunnel is around 400 m behind the east tunnel. At the end of last week, the tunnel boring machine in the west tunnel encountered a geological interference zone. Following a rock fall, driving has had to be temporarily suspended. At present, the measures for probing through the fallen rock area are being defined. Driving is expected to be interrupted for up to 4 weeks. The rock fall will have no effect on the time schedule for commissioning of the Gotthard Base Tunnel at the end of 2017.

http://www.alptransit.ch/en/news/article/2010/03/10/ceneri-basistunnel-in-sigirino-beginnt-der-sprengvortrieb-am-haupttunnel/

Gotthard approaches final breakthrough, Ceneri starts main drive

31.03.2010

The AlpTransit Gotthard project is on course. In the Gotthard Base Tunnel, the final breakthrough will take place in autumn 2010. In mid-March 2010, the main drive of the Ceneri Base Tunnel began. At the premiere of the AlpTransit annual film for 2009 on March 31, 2010, Renzo Simoni, CEO of AlpTransit Gotthard Ltd., gave information about progress on construction of Switzerland’s largest-ever construction project.

To date, almost 95% of the total of approximately 151.8 kilometres of shafts, passages and tunnels of the Gotthard Base Tunnel have been excavated. Civil engineering construction, concreting, and lining work in the Sedrun North, Amsteg and Bodio sections are complete. Final breakthrough in the east tunnel between Faido and Sedrun is scheduled to take place in the autumn of 2010. Up to that point, the tunnel boring machines must cut a further approximately 2.5 kilometres. As from mid-2010, installation of the railway infrastructure systems will start in the west tunnel at Bodio. The systems include the railway tracks, catenaries, telecom systems and electric power supply. To handle the logistics of installing the railway infrastructure systems, in the last few months the installations site was set up at Biasca, a few kilometres to the south of the south portal. Assembly workshops, a concrete production plant, offices and accommodation for workers have been erected on the site.

Large, chimney-like hollow space
In the west tunnel of the Gotthard Base Tunnel, approximately 600 metres behind the drive in the east tunnel, the tunnel boring machine has been stationary for around four weeks on account of a rockfall. During this period, test bores have been performed to determine the size of the hollow space that has formed, as well as the length of the interference zone. The bores have shown that the interference zone is much larger than was assumed in the first days after it was encountered. The hollow space of the interference zone that has been investigated extends in the form of a chimney to a height of at least 40 metres above the tunnel invert. The complete volume of the hollow space is estimated to be approximately 3,000 cubic metres. A substantial part of the hollow space that has been investigated is still filled with broken rock. The length of the interference zone is between 6 and 10 metres.

To enable the tunnel boring machine to resume driving, in the next few weeks the loose area in front of the cutting head will be solidified with cement through a grouting tunnel from the east tunnel which runs parallel to the west tunnel. This will take about three months. The interruption in driving will have no effect on the time schedule or on the commissioning of the Gotthard Base Tunnel at the end of 2017.

Progress on the Ceneri Base Tunnel
On the Ceneri, a milestone was achieved with the first blast at the Sigirino intermediate heading in mid-March 2010. The miners were given the go-ahead for the main drives to the north and south. From the north portal at Vigana, near Camorino, driving is proceeding under the A2 motorway. Driving in the opposite direction from the area of the south portal at Vezia will begin in mid-April 2010.

Annual film 2009 – 35 minutes of tunnel construction on DVD
The progress of construction on the Gotthard and Ceneri base tunnels is documented by film teams commissioned by AlpTransit Gotthard Ltd. Each year this results in an annual film, which, in about 30 minutes, documents the most important milestones on the NRLA construction sites of the Gotthard and Ceneri, as well as the progress of the miners. The annual film for 2009 is now available in three language versions (German, Italian, English). The DVD, which costs CHF 30, can be ordered on the Internet (http://www.alptransit.ch/?id=66) or purchased directly at the AlpTransit information centres in Erstfeld and Pollegio or the offices of AlpTransit Gotthard Ltd. in Lucerne, Altdorf, Sedrun, Faido or Bellinzona. The DVD is also available at the RailShop in Lucerne railway station.

Review of 2009: Work on the Gotthard

* In both tunnels of the Erstfeld section, the tunnel boring machines broke through to the Amsteg section. On the overground section to the north, work began on various structures such as bridges, underpasses and culverts.
* The Amsteg-Sedrun section is ready for installation of the railway infrastructure.
* In the Sedrun section, the drives in both tunnels to the south are achieving daily advance rates of 6-7 metres. Fitting out of the multifunction station is in progress. The north section is ready for installation of the railway infrastructure.
* In the Faido section, the northbound TBM drives crossed the boundary between the cantons of Ticino and Grisons in September 2009. The final work on the multifunction station is being performed at the same time as driving continues.
* The west tunnel of the Bodio section is ready for installation of the railway infrastructure. The east tunnel continues to serve for supply to, and disposal from, the construction works in the Faido section.
* On the overground section to the south, the groundbreaking ceremony for the new Swiss Federal Railways control centre at Pollegio took place at the end of November 2009. At Biasca, the installations site for the railway infrastructure was set up.

Review of 2009: Work on the Ceneri

* At the north portal near Vigana, work began on tunnelling under the A2 motorway.
* At the intermediate heading at Sigirino, the underground installations cavern was constructed and the installations site for the main construction lot was prepared.
* At the south portal at Vezia, the preparatory work on the construction site pit was completed.

The article is from the official site, www.alptransit.ch

Status of Work on the Gotthard and Ceneri

06.04.2010

As of April 1, 2010, of the total of 151.84 km of tunnels, galleries and passages of the Gotthard Base Tunnel, 144.8 km, or 95.4 %, had been excavated. The total amount driven in March 2010 was 1008 m.

Of the total of 39.78 km of the Ceneri Base Tunnel, at the end of March 2010, 7,731 m, or 19.4%, had been excavated.

The 28th report of Alptransit works has been published, but only in German, French and Italian.

http://www.news-service.admin.ch/NSBSubscriber/message/de/32527

(clic NEAT-Standbericht 2009/II, Rapport d'étape NLFA II/2009 or Rapporto sullo stato dei lavori NFTA II/2009 following the language)

I haven't read it yet but if I find something important I will translate it. These reports are usually a summary of what happened in the last 6 months.

A new colour has been added to the image showing the progression of works: yellow, to show the parts ready to receive the tracks.

http://www.alptransit.ch/fileadmin/images/Stand_der_Arbeiten/Gesamt_GBT_e.gif

(the image is updated every month)

The annual film is for the first time also published in English: http://www.alptransit.ch/en/service/dvds-alptransit-gotthard/

^^Thank you very much for all the information you post here. :okay:

BTW: Interesting colour order for the construction progress:
red-->green-->yellow :D

Final breakthrough: October 15th 2010 (very likely)

Galleria di base del San Gottardo: Il record del mondo è previsto per il 15 ottobre 2010

09.04.2010

Se tutto andrà secondo i piani, la caduta del primo diaframma principale della Galleria di base del San Gottardo avverrà il 15 ottobre 2010 nella canna est tra Faido e Sedrun. Quel giorno la galleria ferroviaria più lunga del mondo (57 km) diverrà realtà. Per raggiungere questo significativo traguardo i minatori devono ancora scavare circa 2.4 km di roccia.

Renzo Simoni, Presidente della direzione di AlpTransit San Gottardo SA, si rallegra della grande conquista prevista per l’autunno. “Al momento, tutti gli indicatori confermano la data del 15 ottobre 2010. Non possiamo però escludere un ritardo, a causa ad esempio del concretizzarsi di ostacoli inattesi“.

alptransit.ch

http://videoportal.sf.tv/video?id=d3d04644-0725-4f2e-a959-6e5f67e0ccde

http://videoportal.sf.tv/video?id=5c94f735-7b9d-43be-885f-bfd543d67f28

Status of Work on the Gotthard and Ceneri

04.05.2010

As of May 1, 2010, of the total of 151.84 km of tunnels, galleries and passages of the Gotthard Base Tunnel, 145.4 km, or 95.8 %, had been excavated. The total amount driven in April 2010 was 604 m.

Of the total of 39.78 km of the Ceneri Base Tunnel, at the end of April 2010, 7,880 m, or 19.8%, had been excavated.

Faido West TBM is still blocked in the difficult zone and is now 1,2 km behind the East TBM. The latter has just 1,6 km (one mile) to bore.

i was wondering does anyone know where to get detailed information about the geology and conditions encountered along the tunneling process ?? would be greatly appreciated

Faido West TBM is still blocked in the difficult zone and is now 1,2 km behind the East TBM. The latter has just 1,6 km (one mile) to bore.

That is a bit odd, as you'd expect both TBMs to encounter more or less the same geological conditions. Both bores are not that far apart...

@K: Also in the Amsteg section one TBM encountered a difficult zone and the other don't.

@crb68: about the geology, other asking directly AlpTransit AG or searching on tis website, you can try to ask the three associations of entreprises that are boring the tunnel.

http://www.alptransit.ch/ (contractor, subsidiary of SBB CFF FFS)
http://www.transco-sedrun.ch/ (Sedrun)
http://www.agn-amsteg.ch/ (Amsteg-Erstfeld)
http://www.tat-ti.ch/ (Bodio-Faido)

This one is the group that will lay tracks and railway infrastructure: http://www.transtec-gotthard.ch/ (it doesn't do civil engineering)

@K: Also in the Amsteg section one TBM encountered a difficult zone and the other don't.

@crb68: about the geology, other asking directly AlpTransit AG or searching on tis website, you can try to ask the three associations of entreprises that are boring the tunnel.

http://www.alptransit.ch/ (contractor, subsidiary of SBB CFF FFS)
http://www.transco-sedrun.ch/ (Sedrun)
http://www.agn-amsteg.ch/ (Amsteg-Erstfeld)
http://www.tat-ti.ch/ (Bodio-Faido)

This one is the group that will lay tracks and railway infrastructure: http://www.transtec-gotthard.ch/ (it doesn't do civil engineering)

Thank you !! greatly appreciated

it's pretty much better to change some colours legends of the tunnel to this.

yellow for "excavation and lining accomplished" and
green for "ready for installation of railway technology"

Is it already known what will happen with the existing line and summit
tunnel once the base tunnel will be in revenue service ?

No. But I have seen a project for the 2020 timetable. It shows something similar to today, with one InterCity/EuroCity per hour via the base tunnel and one InterRegio via the old line.

Another confirmed point is that the old railway tunnel will be used by shuttle trains carrying road vehicles during the clousure of the road tunnel for update and maintenance planned around 2020.

No. But I have seen a project for the 2020 timetable. It shows something similar to today, with one InterCity/EuroCity per hour via the base tunnel and one InterRegio via the old line.


And in preparation for this the IRs have already received the Panorama coaches.

Panorama coaches have been in use on the Gotthard line since their construction. They are and were used also on the Arlberg line.

Panorama coaches have been in use on the Gotthard line since their construction. They are and were used also on the Arlberg line.

I know. But it used to be that the ICs had the Panorama coaches. Before the last timetable change you had three categories of trains on the Gotthard: The Cisalpino trains using the infamous ETR sets, loco hauled IC Trains that were somewhat slower, and loco hauled IR trains that had more stops than the IC trains and thus were even slower. The IC trains had the Panorama coaches.

SBB doesn't like irregular timetables however, and wanted the IC trains to run in the same pattern als the EC/Cisalpino trains. They also wanted to establish a service pattern that anticipates the opening of the new base tunnel.
So now the service is:
- ICN have replaced IC, and they and the EC are run using a mixture of different types of high speed capable trainsets. The EC services are those that used to be run by Cisalpino. They are still run with ETR470 sets, but many of these services is currently are currently doubled with an ICN service. All ICN/EC services now run in the same pattern.
- IR services: These are the only loco hauled trains, and they are slated to remain on the old line. They received the Panorama coaches. Last time I traveled back from Lugano I wasn't in a hurry and took one of these trains. They're a great an relaxing way to travel...
The end result is that the IR takes about half an hour longer than the IC, which is very convenient for the integration in the rest of the network at both ends.

Some infos:
- the east artificial part at Erstfeld will be completed at the end of this year
- the west artificial part mid 2011
- mid 2011 the grade separated junction shown below will be opened, it lies between Altdorf (left) and Erstfeld (right)
- tracklaying here will not start befor mid 2011, when the junction will be activated (only the branch to Erstfeld and the old line)
- there will be three tracks from Altdorf to the portal (5 km) and four near the portal
- there will a new 7 km line south of the southern portal, partly with 3 tracks
- this will allow passenger trains to overtake freight trains, these will run in groups
- to the south there will be two junction
-- one probably single track and certainly flat north of Biasca
-- one south of Biasca (again probably flat, but for two tracks)
- Faido West TBM is still blocked, it may restart in July, it has still 2700 m to bore

http://img10.imageshack.us/img10/4470/dsc00398qj.jpg (http://img10.imageshack.us/i/dsc00398qj.jpg/)

Uploaded with ImageShack.us (http://imageshack.us)

The artificial section under construction looking north. The bridge and the foothpath it carries will be closed this year.

http://img19.imageshack.us/img19/8475/dsc00188qa.jpg (http://img19.imageshack.us/i/dsc00188qa.jpg/)

Uploaded with ImageShack.us (http://imageshack.us)

Some infos:
- the east artificial part at Erstfeld will be completed at the end of this year


What do you actually mean with "artificial section"? It's not as if there are any "natural sections" to the project.

Artificial tunnels are "boxes" like the one in the photo, built at ground level and then covered, or shallow cuttings excavated and covered later (like some urban tunnels for metro and roads).

Natural tunnels are tunnels bored under the ground, without access from the surface except at one end.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tunnel

Photos from Erstfeld and Amsteg: http://www.drehscheibe-foren.de/foren/read.php?106,4842035

As of June 1, 2010, of the total of 151.84 km of tunnels, galleries and passages of the Gotthard Base Tunnel, 146.1 km, or 96.2 %, had been excavated. The total amount driven in May 2010 was 694 m.

Of the total of 39.78 km of the Ceneri Base Tunnel, at the end of May 2010, 8,101 m, or 20.4%, had been excavated.

http://www.alptransit.ch/en/news/article/2010/06/02/bezeichnung/

from alptransit.ch:

Gotthard Base Tunnel: Installation of railway infrastructure systems begins

25.06.2010

At the south portal of the Gotthard Base Tunnel, between Bodio and Faido, installation of the railway infrastructure systems has begun in the west tunnel. By 2012, the approximately 16-kilometres-long section will be completely equipped with the railway infrastructure including railway track, catenary, electric power supply, telecommunications, and safety systems. The Gotthard Base Tunnel will be ready for scheduled train services in 2017.

The first section of the tunnel to have the railway infrastructure installed is the Faido-Bodio West section. Test runs at speeds of up to 230 kph will take place in this approximately 16-kilometres-long section from 2013. These will allow the complex interaction of the railway infrastructure systems in the Gotthard Base Tunnel to be extensively tested. The logistical base for installation of the railway infrastructure in this section is the Surface Installations Site South at Biasca, which has been built on an area of 70,000 square metres. A further requirement is construction of the approximately 4.5-kilometres-long section of the Open Section South between the surface installations site and the tunnel portal at Bodio.

Northern installation to start in autumn 2011
Installation of the railway infrastructure systems also from the north portal will begin in 2011. The Erstfeld-Amsteg-Sedrun East section will be the first to receive the railway infrastructure systems. For this purpose the Railway Infrastructure Systems Surface Installations Site North will be built at Rynächt as from autumn 2010.

Rail-based installation
The first installations of railway infrastructure in the Gotthard Base Tunnel are therefore taking place in parallel with completion of the concrete shell in other sections of the tunnel. Installation and commissioning will take a total of eight years. The only effectively available access points for bringing the material into the tunnel are the two portals. „The unprecedented tunnel length of 57 kilometres and the restricted space conditions limit access for tyred vehicles and present a major challenge“, states Oliver Bratschi, Executive Director Railway Engineering for the tunnel owner, AlpTransit Gotthard Ltd. Virtually all transportation therefore takes place by rail from the two main surface installation sites in the north and south. As first railway infrastructure installations, cables will be pulled in and the ballastless trackbed laid.

Coordination of more than 1000 technical interfaces
At peak times, more than 700 people will be involved in installing the railway infrastructure. The complexity is high, detailed coordination of everyone involved is essential. „More than 1000 technical interfaces must be mutually coordinated to make trouble-free rail traffic in the Gotthard Base Tunnel possible, says Rolf Brunner, Chairman of the Construction Committee of Transtec Gotthard.

AlpTransit Gotthard Ltd.
AlpTransit Gotthard Ltd.is the constructor of the Gotthard axis of the New Rail Link through the Alps with base tunnels through the Gotthard and Ceneri. Established in 1998 as a subsidiary of Swiss Federal Railways, the company now employs around 140 people at its headquarters in Lucerne and its branches in ALtd.orf, Sedrun, Faido and Bellinzona. The work contract „Railway Infrastructure Gotthard Base Tunnel“ with a value of CHF 1.7 billion is one of the world’s largest contracts in the field of railway infrastructure and the largest work contract of AlpTransit Gotthard Ltd.

Transtec Gotthard
Transtec Gotthard AG has been appointed general contractor by AlpTransit Gotthard Ltd.for installation of the railway infrastructure systems in the Gotthard Base Tunnel. The consortium comprises the companies Alpiq InTec AG, Alcatel-Lucent/Thales RSS (as a consortium), Alpine-Bau and Balfour Beatty Rail. As four equal partners, the companies contribute to the consortium their competences in the areas of railtrack, catenary, railway safety, railway and tunnel control systems, telecommunications, electric power supply, logistics, planning and execution.

As of July 1, 2010, of the total of 151.84 km of tunnels, galleries and passages of the Gotthard Base Tunnel, 146.6 km, or 96.6 %, had been excavated. The total amount driven in June 2010 was 531 m.

Of the total of 39.78 km of the Ceneri Base Tunnel, at the end of June 2010, 8,344m, or 21%, had been excavated.

http://www.alptransit.ch/en/news/article/2010/07/03/bezeichnung/

Second-hand tunneling equipment on sale: http://tat.ebrick.net/usedcached/it/publishusedequipmentmaincategories_1.html

The Faido West TBM restarted, or will restart soon, boring.

The end is near! :D

Status of Work on the Gotthard and Ceneri (http://www.alptransit.ch/en/news/article/2010/08/03/bezeichnung/)

03.08.2010

As of August 1, 2010, of the total of 151.84 km of tunnels, galleries and passages of the Gotthard Base Tunnel, 147.33 km, or 97%, had been excavated. The total amount driven in July 2010 was 652 m.

Of the total of 39.78 km of the Ceneri Base Tunnel, at the end of July 2010, 8,816m, or 22.2%, had been excavated.

http://www.alptransit.ch/fileadmin/images/Stand_der_Arbeiten/Gesamt_GBT_e.gif
SOURCE (http://www.alptransit.ch/en/?no_cache=1)

During the first two weeks of August the two remaining TBM will be revised, profiting from the holidays. In the eastern tube 800 m still have to be excavated, in the western tube 2800 m.

During the first two weeks of August the two remaining TBM will be revised, profiting from the holidays. In the eastern tube 800 m still have to be excavated, in the western tube 2800 m.

So 3600 m left to excavate . . . I'm guessing excavation will be completed by January 2011 -- on second thought, I think they'll have it done before the end of the year!
C'mon guys, DIG!!!
:banana:

What do you all think?

I think the only important goal this hear will be the breakthrough in the eastern tube.

Not only: AlpTransit AG started to lay signaling and service cables in part of the tunnel.

I think you misunderstood me, the breakthrough in the eastern tube is the event this year. Of course there is other work, but this will be the thing in the media.

When the other tube will be finished, it will probably be just a side note.

The breakthrought is the main event that will be reported in the medias, but the start of the installation of the railway equipment is another milestoine.

So 3600 m left to excavate . . . I'm guessing excavation will be completed by January 2011 -- on second thought, I think they'll have it done before the end of the year!
C'mon guys, DIG!!!

What do you all think?

It has been said by several posters on this thread that, given the speed of progress so far, Gotthard should be able to open at least one year ahead of its December 2017 deadline. I myself tend to think that this is TECHNICALLY feasible, but... do the Swiss authorities want it to happen?

For starters, it means that they will have to pay many of the contractors earlier than planned. This may sound trivial to "tecky" guys, but Treasury officials have been known to think in Fiscal Years. For an illustration, please consider the works in Germany on Ingolstadt-Erfurt. There is no technical reason why it should take 20 years, but the politicians have used is as a sort of "fiscal buffer", turning the speed up and down as money allowed. The Swiss authorities are a bit less extreme in this respect but still... money is not unlimited. Does anybody know more?

AlpTransit is funded via the FTP/FinOV fund (the name depend of the language...), actually it has 31,5 billions CHF assigned (1995 value, I think). Not all money is already available, but it has a guaranted income (tax on trucks, tax on fuels, VAT). Works can be assigned only when this fund has enough money to fund them, even if some loans have been made to start works before money is available in the FTP/FinOV fund. No public work in Switzerland can start if it is not entirely funded (or if it has not a certain source of money: there wasn't 10 billions CHF available from the beginning for the GBT, but there was a good plan to find them throught the years).

An explanation about the way the tax on trucks (LSVA/RPLP/TTPCP) works: http://www.are.admin.ch/dokumentation/publikationen/00080/index.html?lang=en

Another good week, 153.70 m: http://www.tat-ti.ch/fileadmin/user_upload/Dokumente/Wochenbericht_441_KW_34-10_TAT_Faido__bersicht_EST.pdf (the link will expire next friday)

Status of Work on the Gotthard and Ceneri

As of September 1, 2010, of the total of 151.84 km of tunnels, galleries and passages of the Gotthard Base Tunnel, 147.98 km, or 97.5%, had been excavated. The total amount driven in August 2010 was 608 m.

Of the total of 39.78 km of the Ceneri Base Tunnel, at the end of August 2010, 9102m, or 22.9%, had been excavated.

Status of Work on the Gotthard and Ceneri

As of September 1, 2010, of the total of 151.84 km of tunnels, galleries and passages of the Gotthard Base Tunnel, 147.98 km, or 97.5%, had been excavated. The total amount driven in August 2010 was 608 m.

Of the total of 39.78 km of the Ceneri Base Tunnel, at the end of August 2010, 9102m, or 22.9%, had been excavated.

So precisely how much is left to breakthrough in Gotthard east tube?

Around 650 metres, the breakthrough will be on the 15th of October (if boring finish before this date, workers will have to wait until the 15th to bore the last metre of rock).

Around 650 metres, the breakthrough will be on the 15th of October (if boring finish before this date, workers will have to wait until the 15th to bore the last metre of rock).

On the Alptransit-Website stands, that only 455m have to be excavated till they have a new world-record!

:)

New website: http://www.57km.ch/

Gotthard base tunnel breakthrough - Dossier Swissinfo (english) (http://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/specials/gotthard_base_tunnel/index.html?cid=28292860)

Gotthard base tunnel breakthrough - Dossier Swissinfo (italian) (http://www.swissinfo.ch/ita/speciali/tunnel_di_base_del_San_Gottardo/index.html?cid=28286820)

http://www.videoportal.sf.tv/video?id=eac88d2c-fb15-4604-9507-786218586f49;did=7e97e53b-c334-4ec9-8a11-97fcf65304a6

There will some hours of television programs dedicated to the event, from the 14 evening to the 15th afternoon.

A short video of the existing railway: http://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/multimedia/video/Tunnel_vision.html?cid=999300

I know that the Swiss are sticking to their schedule due to funding issues, but why does it really take so long? I understand that their schedules are extremely conservative so they wont disappoint their constituents but seriously? With the tunnel bored out, what will they still have to do? Add a liner, lay tracks, and install signalling/safety systems. I would think they could get that done in 18 months not 5 or 6 years....

There is very limited space on intermediate access points (that's also why Faido and Sedrun section excavated only a small part of the tunnel), so tracks have to be supplied from the two portals. And as these are carried by train on a (two) narrow single track tunnel(s) the train has first to go from the outside base into the tunnel, discharge the tracks, fix it with beton (like in other modern long tunnels there is no ballast), go back and start again. And from the base until the end of the half tunnel each train has to equip there are up to 30 km/20 miles, so the trip will probably require up to 45 minutes (at least going inside the tunnel, there will be no signaling system telling where the track ends, so trains will have to travel by sight).

The Lötschberg Base Tunnel (35 km/20 miles) has been completed in a little more than two years, so four years for the Gotthard twice as long are comprehensible (then there are 2 or 3 years as buffer fo mask eventual delays).

Thank you for answering my question. This is undoubtibly one of the coolest construction projects in the world! I wish the US could develop the discipline and long term vision to develop stuff like this....

In the US railways are privately owned, mostly not electrified and nearly without passenger traffic (except around big cities). Freight trains runs with more locomotives also thanks to the couplings so 2%-3% grades are common, instead in Europe the states can support big infrastructure projects also if they can't be directly economically profitable.

I hope your planned high-speed lines becoem reaility somewhere int he future...

Freight trains runs with more locomotives also thanks to the couplings so 2%-3% grades are common

The first major railway crossing of the Alps is Brenner Pass, on summit level (1370 m or so). The other railway crossings were the first long rail tunnels, in late 19th century - Sankt Gotthard Tunnel, Mont Cenis Tunnel, Simplon Tunnel.

What are the ruling grades of the existing Brenner Pass track and the approaches to Gotthard and Simplon passes? And what shall be the ruling grade for the Gotthard Base Tunnel and Ceneri route?

Alll existing main transalpine railways have gradients between 25‰ and 28‰ except the Fréjus that reach 33‰. The Simplon-Lötschberg line with the new Lötschberg tunnel has now steep ramps only on the southern side, so a southbound trains has to climb not more than 15‰ grades, but has to afford a 27‰ descent. That's why the new tunnel, being single track, is used mainly in the southbound direction where trains are usually heavier.

The new Gotthard railway will have a maxumum grade of 12‰ (8‰ in tunnels), but as only the Gotthard, Cenery and half of the Zimmerberg base tunnels have been built the 12‰ grade is not surpassed only on the main trunk (*) Basel-Bellinzona and on the Bellinzona-Luino-Laveno-Novara/Milano single track branch. The other branch (carrying two thirds of freight traffic) Bellinzona-Lugano-Milano has short (3 or 4 km) section at 17‰. There is a long term to lengthen the Ceneri base tunnel to increase capacity for passenger traffic and to reduce gradients to 12‰. The new Ceneri tunnel would then be around 40 km long.

(*) the Bozberg access line, one of two with the Hauenstein, reaches 1.4%

Alll existing main transalpine railways have gradients between 25‰ and 28‰ except the Fréjus that reach 33‰. The Simplon-Lötschberg line with the new Lötschberg tunnel has now steep ramps only on the southern side, so a southbound trains has to climb not more than 15‰ grades, but has to afford a 27‰ descent. That's why the new tunnel, being single track, is used mainly in the southbound direction where trains are usually heavier.

The new Gotthard railway will have a maxumum grade of 12‰ (8‰ in tunnels), but as only the Gotthard, Cenery and half of the Zimmerberg base tunnels have been built the 12‰ grade is not surpassed only on the main trunk (*) Basel-Bellinzona and on the Bellinzona-Luino-Laveno-Novara/Milano single track branch. The other branch (carrying two thirds of freight traffic) Bellinzona-Lugano-Milano has short (3 or 4 km) section at 17‰. There is a long term to lengthen the Ceneri base tunnel to increase capacity for passenger traffic and to reduce gradients to 12‰. The new Ceneri tunnel would then be around 40 km long.

(*) the Bozberg access line, one of two with the Hauenstein, reaches 14‰

The first major railway crossing of the Alps is Brenner Pass, on summit level (1370 m or so).
Wrong, the first mountain mainline buildt is the Semmering crossing of the k.u.k. Südbahn (Vienna - Trieste), opened in 1854. Its less known because it lies within Austria and isn't one of the mayor passes (for both railway and cars).

Only ten metres left: a cavern is under construction on the northern (Sedrun) side to allow the disassembly of the TBM. Next week the TBM will bore another eight metres, but for the last two we will have to wait the 15 and the two days of celebrations.

http://info.rsi.ch/home/channels/informazione/alptransit/info_on_line/2010/09/30-AlpTransit-meno-dieci-metriCi-si

who would have thought...

i remember reading about it in the 90s when it was only an idea

Only ten metres left:

How much is left of the other tube?

2.2 km because the TBM was stopped for 6 months because of a geological problem. This TBM will arrive around february 2011.

In the US railways are privately owned, mostly not electrified and nearly without passenger traffic (except around big cities). Freight trains runs with more locomotives also thanks to the couplings so 2%-3% grades are common, instead in Europe the states can support big infrastructure projects also if they can't be directly economically profitable.


The longest tunnel in Americas is Mount Macdonald Tunnel at 14,7 km, under Selkirk Mountains. It was built in 4 years, from 1984 to 1988, to replace old Connaught Tunnel opened in 1916 (which also was longest in Americas).

Building Mount Macdonald Tunnel is said to have improved the ruling grade of Canadian Pacific and eliminated need of bank engines for freight.

Are there any crossings, in USA, of Cascades, Sierra Nevada or Rockies, where a base tunnel of feasible length would result in significant improvement of ruling grade for freight?

Are there any crossings, in USA, of Cascades, Sierra Nevada or Rockies, where a base tunnel of feasible length would result in significant improvement of ruling grade for freight?

Certainly yes, but that would require certainly more tunnels as the Rocky Mountains are wider than the Alps (but the latter are slightly higher and maybe steeper). This may be make the use of bank engine cheaper than building and running a long tunnel (that itself would require new and electric locomotives as using diesels would be impossible).

A train that actually needs three engines to cross the Alps in future will need two of them, and maybe only one if all the access lines will be built with low gradient.

The longest tunnel in Americas is Mount Macdonald Tunnel at 14,7 km, under Selkirk Mountains. It was built in 4 years, from 1984 to 1988, to replace old Connaught Tunnel opened in 1916 (which also was longest in Americas).

Building Mount Macdonald Tunnel is said to have improved the ruling grade of Canadian Pacific and eliminated need of bank engines for freight.

Are there any crossings, in USA, of Cascades, Sierra Nevada or Rockies, where a base tunnel of feasible length would result in significant improvement of ruling grade for freight?
BNSF's ex GN Cascade Tunnel could potentially make use of one, the 2.2% grades leading up to it are not all that long. OTOH, the former GN mainline also has lengthy sections of 2.2% in western Montana, the main section of which crosses the Rockies at the continental divide without a tunnel, so no real advantage would be gained with a base tunnel in the Cascades. As for Cascade Tunnel, I would ream out its paralleling 'pioneer' tunnel (used for ease of access during its construction in the late 1920s) and use it for a second main track.

Mike

It is obvious that diesel traction limit the capacity of the (few, compared to Europe) North American railway tunnels. But the main limit on these north american railways are the tunnels, the steep grades, or the single track sections? I have read that these tunnels only allow two or three trains per hour because they have to be closed to allow fans to clear the air. Electrification may be useful.

Electrification may be useful.

Cascade Tunnel WAS electrified.

What about Tehachapi Pass? Nasty climb, at 2,52 %, yet reasonably short, crossing summit at just 1156 m or so. And connects Los Angeles with Central Valley. Could a base tunnel help here?

The most curvy and sinuous part of the railway west of the pass, where I imagine there are also steep slopes, is around 32 km/20 miles as the crow flies. The mountain part from around Bakersfield to around Mojave is around 57 km/35 miles long. How long and steep are the access ramps? On the Gotthard there are 40 km of continuous 2.7% ramp.

The Gotthard base tunnel is costing around 9 billions CHF, around the same in USD, I don't know if a private company can afford it as the return of investment would be too long. The Channel tunnel company had and still has big financial difficulties.

The most curvy and sinuous part of the railway west of the pass, where I imagine there are also steep slopes, is around 32 km/20 miles as the crow flies. The mountain part from around Bakersfield to around Mojave is around 57 km/35 miles long. How long and steep are the access ramps? On the Gotthard there are 40 km of continuous 2.7% ramp.

The Gotthard base tunnel is costing around 9 billions CHF, around the same in USD, I don't know if a private company can afford it as the return of investment would be too long. The Channel tunnel company had and still has big financial difficulties.
Tehachapi Pass could possibly make use of a base tunnel as the approaches are very curvy (including an über-popular with the railfans 'loop' section) and steep. I'm not that sure on Cajon Pass, mainly regarding the altitude of the 'inland' side.

Yes, the current traffic throughput limit of those mountain tunnels in North America does relate to how long it takes to change their air after a train passes, usually 20-30 minutes depending on length. The new Mount MacDonald tunnel has a midpoint door that allows for faster ventilation.

Also, yes, Cascade tunnel WAS electrified when it opened in 1929, that was due to the use of steam locomotives on the rest of the North American railroad network at the time and the copious amounts of emissions that they produce - the tunnel would not have been possible without it. In fact, the tunnel that the current Cascade tunnel replaced was also electrified with locomotive changeout yards by each portal. When diesel locomotives took over completely from steam in the 1950s, the then Great Northern Railway studied the electrification (it only ran the fairly short distance from Skykomish to Wenatchee, WA) and determined that it would be most cost-effective to drop the 'wire' and ventilate the tunnel. This was done in 1956.

More recently, during the fuel price spike in 2007 and 2008, GN successor BNSF ('Burlington Northern Santa Fe') studied a wholesale electrification of their entire railroad, but no action had been taken by the time oil prices returned to a more 'normal' level.

A serious study into the final couple of decades of the Milwaukee Road will yield lots of interesting numbers on the economics of mainline electrification, which they made extensive use of in the northwestern USA (in addition to the very sad and sordid story of upper management incompetence that led to the company's demise).

I also anticipate some very serious studies of mainline electrification in the near-term future as California's emissions laws become progressively more strict. Already, diesel-electric/battery hybrid switching locomotives are coming into common use by both BNSF and Union Pacific in the Los Angeles area due to those rules.

I know that this is drifting off-topic for the Gotthard Base Tunnel, but nothing like this exists in a vacuum and other examples are well worth studying when planning your own course of action.

Mike

Gotthard Base Tunnel could be opened one year earlier:
A new report has stated that it would be possible to open the new tunnel a year earlier. The SBB and the building consortium Transtec have been informed. The decision is not yet made.

http://www.nzz.ch/nachrichten/schweiz/gotthardtunnel_ein_jahr_frueher_fertig_1.7788259.html
(Sorry only in German)

Are there any crossings, in USA, of Cascades, Sierra Nevada or Rockies, where a base tunnel of feasible length would result in significant improvement of ruling grade for freight?

This probably sounds rather nerdish, but I have used Google Earth to scout potential tunnel routes. In the Blue Mountains of Oregon a ten mile tunnel would eliminate 26 miles of twisting and climbing over the grade, and at Stampede Pass in the Cascades a 4.5 mile tunnel would connect the BNSF line with the abandoned Milwaukee line (presently a trail).

This probably sounds rather nerdish, but I have used Google Earth to scout potential tunnel routes. In the Blue Mountains of Oregon a ten mile tunnel would eliminate 26 miles of twisting and climbing over the grade, and at Stampede Pass in the Cascades a 4.5 mile tunnel would connect the BNSF line with the abandoned Milwaukee line (presently a trail).
In the rawest sense, the current BNSF Cascade Tunnel can be thought of as a 'base' tunnel that replaced a truly torturous line to an older, higher altitude tunnel - the line to that prior tunnel included MASSIVE lengths of showsheds, the maintenance of which were fast draining BNSF predecessor Great Northern's treasury.

Mike

There are many long low-grade tunnels planned in Europe. Five are planned, two under construction and one (well, not really) in operation, plus a pure high-speed tunnel in Spain, the Channel tunnel and a road tunnel, each at least 25 km long.

All of them but the last three are planned, or have been built, to reduce grades and shorten travel times for passengers.

Status of Work on the Gotthard and Ceneri

01.10.2010

As of October 1, 2010, of the total of 151.84 km of tunnels, galleries and passages of the Gotthard Base Tunnel, 149.1 km, or 98.2%, had been excavated. The total amount driven in September 2010 was 1118 m.

Of the total of 39.78 km of the Ceneri Base Tunnel, at the end of September 2010, 9466m, or 23.8%, had been excavated.

There are many long low-grade tunnels planned in Europe. Five are planned, two under construction and one (well, not really) in operation, plus a pure high-speed tunnel in Spain, the Channel tunnel and a road tunnel, each at least 25 km long.

All of them but the last three are planned, or have been built, to reduce grades and shorten travel times for passengers.

Could you list the other tunnel under construction (Gotthard is one) and the road tunnel?

Rockies are high and wide, but that is precisely why long tunnels are less necessarily. Climbing the flat Great Plains reaches high altitude without steep gradients - in Wyoming, Sherman Hill is avoided and water divide crossed at maximum grade as low as 0,84 %. But steeper, 2,2 % slopes (as well as nasty climate and snowfall) are encountered crossing Sierra Nevada via Donner Pass.

Would a Donner Pass base tunnel be useful?

Opened:
- Lötschberg Base, 35 km, Alps, Switzerland (but quite useless regarding gradients as there is still the Simplon ramp)
- Guadarrama, 28 km, Sierra de Guadarrama, pure HSL
- Eurotunnel/Channel Tunnel, 50 km, undersea, United Kingdom-France
- Laerdal, 24.5 km, Scandinavian mountains, Norway, road

Under construction:
- Gotthard Base, 57 km, Alps, Switzerland
- Pajares, 25 km, Cordillera Cantabrica, Spain (+ 20 km of others tunnels, that is 45 km underground out of 50 km of new line)

Advanced planning stage (exploratory tunnels and acces shafts), but construction still uncertain
- Brenner Base, 55 km, Alps, Austria-Italy
- Fréjus Base, 57 km, Alps, France-Italy (also known as Mont Cenis Base, Mont d'Ambin Base, or Lyon-Turin)

Planned
- Semmering Base, 27 km, Alps, Austria
- Koralm, 27 km, Alps, Austria
- Traversée Centrale, around 40 km, Pyrenees, Spain-France (the less likely to be built in the near future)
- Gibraltar tunnel, 40 km, undersea, Spain-Morocco (even less likely but an exploratory tunnel has already been done)

(the adjective "base" is used where there is already a "summit" tunnel, even if on the Brenner there is no summit tunnel, but the new is called "base", and even if there is already a short 3 km tunnel on the Pajares line - but I don't know if this tunnel (called Perruca) is exactly on the summit or if the summit is elsewhere)

Planned
- Semmering Base, 27 km, Alps, Austria
- Koralm, 27 km, Alps, Austria
- Traversée Centrale, around 40 km, Pyrenees, Spain-France (the less likely to be built in the near future)
- Gibraltar tunnel, 40 km, undersea, Spain-Morocco (even less likely but an exploratory tunnel has already been done)


Very nice summary, Coccodrillo! I would disagree only on one point. I think you're being unfair to the Austrians: as far as I know the Koralm tunnel has actually been under construction since 2008.

^^ I know that at least two access and exploratory tunnels for the Koralm have been built. Also some open-air parts of the new Koralm line are already opened but as a non-electrified single track.

But beside that I haven't really understood if the work is really ongoing or not (I think they are boring the main tunnels from one side...or maybe they are going to start in the enxt future). There is no english website, I don't speak German and even Google Translate is not of a big help as ÖBB's webiste is quite confusing.

http://www.videoportal.sf.tv/video?id=329dcac0-806a-4be8-8ad4-53a963d503f5&WT.zugang=front_pb1

Schweizer Fernsehen (Swiss Television): Horizonte

Only until 16.10.2010

Very interesting!

Let´s use the upcoming breakthrough as an opportunity to pay tribute to the current world record holder. :)




Seikan Tunnel (青函トンネル)- World´s longest tunnel

13.03.1988 --- 15.10.2010

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_7y1svI96Atk/SOSgccM30LI/AAAAAAAAA-0/obV51UJP1lU/s400/SeikanT.jpg

:applause::applause::applause::applause::applause::applause::applause::applause::applause::applause::applause:

Nice article about this tunnel..

World's longest tunnel gets ready for rapid rail
Brisbane Times, AFP, October 14, 2010 - 4:57PM
http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/travel/travel-news/worlds-longest-tunnel-gets-ready-for-rapid-rail-20101014-16lhc.html

http://images.brisbanetimes.com.au/2010/10/14/1987372/Worlds-Longest-Tunnel--12--600x400.jpg
World's longest tunnel, A giant drilling machine will complete the world's longest tunnel beneath the Swiss Alps today, paving the way for continuous high-speed rail travel between northern and southeastern Europe. Photo: Reuters

A giant drilling machine will complete the world's longest tunnel beneath the Swiss Alps on Friday, paving the way for continuous high-speed rail travel between northern and southeastern Europe.

The ceremonial breakthrough in the 57-kilometre long Gotthard base tunnel through the foot of the Alps is due to take place 30 kilometres from one end and 2000 metres below a mountain.

Eight of some 2500 tunnel workers have died since construction of the new railway link began in central Switzerland 15 years ago, blasting and boring through 13 million cubic metres of rock in hot and humid conditions.

By the time it opens for service in 2017, it will exceed the 53.8-kilometre Seikan rail tunnel linking the Japanese islands of Honshu and Hokkaido and the world's longest road tunnel, the 24.5-kilometre Laerdal in Norway.

Although the near 10 billion Swiss franc ($A10.53 billion) project is Swiss, it has fast taken on a continental dimension with the aim of unclogging one of the main north-south commercial routes between Germany and Italy.

European Union Transport Commissioner Siim Kallas on Tuesday called the new Gotthard tunnel "a remarkable project".

Transport ministers from the 27-nation bloc are due to watch the breakthrough ceremony live on television during a regular meeting in Luxembourg, officials said. Switzerland is a not a member of the EU.

The tunnel would cut one hour from the transalpine rail journey, and drive booming road freight off congested Swiss mountain roads onto more environmentally sound rail.

"The Gotthard base tunnel is a milestone on the way to taking freight traffic off the road and onto rail," said Peter Fueglistaler, director of the Federal Transport Office.

Switzerland nonethless struggled to convince sceptical European neighbours after Swiss voters supported an ecologist motion to ban heavy trucks from the Alps -- including the expanding flow of transiting EU goods traffic -- in a shock referendum result in 1994.

In recent years, Austria, France and Italy have set in motion two similar rail tunnel projects through the eastern and western Alps.

"The European Union has made great strides in our direction," said Swiss Transport Minister Moritz Leuenberger.

Last month, Leuenberger handed over a ticket for a post-2017 Gotthard crossing to each of his EU colleagues.

Around 300 trains should be able to speed through the twin tubes every day, at up to 250 kilometres per hour for passenger trains, according to planners.

The current ageing and narrow 15-kilometre tunnel higher up the flanks of the St. Gotthard can cope with just a fraction of that capacity at less than half the speed.

It was nonetheless a global engineering feat when it was completed 128 years ago, having claimed the lives of some 200 tunnel workers.

By the time the 9.5-metre wide tunnel drilling machine breaks through the remaining metre of rock on Friday, the overall cost of the new base tunnel and other revamped rail lines through the Swiss Alps will reach nearly 19 billion francs.

For locals in the mountains, meanwhile, it almost brings the 63 year-old dream of a Swiss engineer to life.

In 1947 Carl Eduard Gruner envisaged not only a tunnel through the foot of the mountains at the same location, but a high speed train network that would whisk tourists between continents and allow them to stop at a gateway to the Alps.

Tentative plans for the "Porta Alpina" station halfway along the new Gotthard tunnel were shelved because of the cost, 50 million francs.

But a huge cavern and evacuation siding has been prepared beneath the village of Sedrun, at the foot of an 800-metre lift shaft built by southern African mining specialists and close to some ambitious ski resorts.

AFP

.

Final push to the breakthrough

14.10.2010

The countdown has started: only 1.8 metres to go to a historic breakthrough in the Gotthard! Last Saturday evening at 10.17pm, the tunnelling machine successfully completed its approach to the 127.404km breakthrough position within the eastern tunnel.

The entire breakthrough area is now being secured, and the tunnelling machine prepared for the breakthrough itself. Preparations are also in full swing for the associated celebrations. On Friday, 15th October 2010 at 2pm, the tunnelling machine from Faido will be started up, and will push the last 1.8 metres of rock out in the direction of Sedrun. The miners, together with a small group of people who are involved in the project and guests (including Swiss Transport Minister Moritz Leuenberger), will be there to witness the main breakthrough to the Sedrun side. The general public will be able to follow the crucial Gotthard Base Tunnel breakthrough live, thanks to transmissions on Schweizer Fernsehen (SF), the French-speaking Swiss television company (Radio télévision Suisse, RTS) and the television company in Ticino (Radiotelevisione svizzera di lingua italiana RSI).

^^ I know that at least two access and exploratory tunnels for the Koralm have been built. Also some open-air parts of the new Koralm line are already opened but as a non-electrified single track.

But beside that I haven't really understood if the work is really ongoing or not (I think they are boring the main tunnels from one side...or maybe they are going to start in the enxt future). There is no english website, I don't speak German and even Google Translate is not of a big help as ÖBB's webiste is quite confusing.

To my knowledge the Koralmbahn the tunnel drilling is already in progress for a short time being. The whole Koralmbahn which is going to connect Graz with Klagenfurt is planned to be finished by 2020. (project page in German: http://www.oebb.at/infrastruktur/de/5_0_fuer_Generationen/5_4_Wir_bauen_fuer_Generationen/5_4_1_Schieneninfrastruktur/Pontebbanaachse_Suedbahn/Koralmbahn/index.jsp)

The Brennerbasistunnel is going ahead in planning has some agreed budget but I'll seriously doubt its sufficient. There are still question marks there.

The Semmeringbasistunnel is a never ending story and I would not sit there waiting for it.

Breakthrough is expected to be at 2 pm :banana:

It should be possible to follow it through here: http://www.tagesschau.sf.tv/sfvideo/live/80d433a0-50ed-4efb-b6c1-9e6273262346

or here: http://zattoo.com/view#SF1

:cheers:

:applause:

Great Job!

There will be a live coverage on the tv channel 3Sat (http://www.3sat.de/) in Germany!
Starting at 13.00.

:popcorn:

Live in French: http://www.tsr.ch/video/info/journal-continu/?direct=1#id=1967124

Is there a livestream in english or italian anywhere?

wowowowo there it is!!!! :cheers: :cheers:

14:18 CET...it's done!

It's Thru! :banana: Huge thing that drill:)

hehe all EU transport ministers are watching it too together in Luxembourg and congratulating Switzerland, even though they have paid nothing

Wow! Amazing!

Final breakthrough of the longest railway tunnel in the world

15.10.2010

World record on the Gotthard: The longest railway tunnel in the world has become a reality. On 15 October 2010 in the east tunnel, 30 km from the north portal and 27 km from the south portal, the final breakthrough of the Gotthard took place. At about 14:30, the tunnel boring machine, drilling from Faido, broke through the last metre of rock on the route to Sedrun.

The tunnel breakthrough was highly accurate. At 8 cm horizontally and 1 cm vertically, the deviation was very small. In his speech, Federal Councillor Moritz Leuenberger expressed pleasure, but was also moved by this important milestone on the Gotthard: “This breakthrough is a symbol of what policy can do, when we make it together,” he said. The new base tunnel will make Swiss – and also European – transport policy more sustainable. Renzo Simoni, Chief Executive Officer of AlpTransit Gotthard AG, singled out the numerous miners in his thanks. “Through their years of tireless commitment, they have made this world record possible. The miners are the heroes of today’s celebrations.”

Guests and miners are very happy

At the breakthrough point deep inside the mountain, a little over 6 km south of Sedrun, about 200 people, including Transport Minister Moritz Leuenberger and other guests of honour, witnessed the breakthrough by the tunnel boring machine. About 3500 miners and others involved in the project, including current and former engineers, planners, geologists and surveyors, followed the breakthrough on big screens at various venues: the Sedrun workshop, the Faido multifunction station, the north portal in Erstfeld, and the KKL in Lucerne. Swiss TV broadcast the event live throughout Switzerland and internationally

Importance for transport policy

The 57 km Gotthard base tunnel traverses the Alps, connecting the north portal in Erstfeld (Canton Uri) with the south portal in Bodio (Canton Ticino). With a rock overburden of up to 2500 m, the Gotthard base tunnel is also the most deeply set rail tunnel in the world. Together with the 15.4 km Ceneri base tunnel, the Gotthard base tunnel will provide a level track through the Alps. The base tunnel through the Gotthard is the core of the new rail connection. It is planned to become operational by the end of 2017. This will markedly improve passenger and freight transport at the heart of Europe: it will favour the shift of north-south freight traffic from road to rail, and shorten the journey time from Zurich to Milan from 3 hours 40 minutes to 2 hours 50 minutes. With the New Rail Link through the Alps (NRLA) on the Gotthard and the Lötschberg, Switzerland is contributing significantly to bring the people of Europe together – something the EU acknowledges.

Building the Gotthard base tunnel

The Gotthard base tunnel consists of two parallel single-track tubes, which are connected every 325 m by 40 m galleries. Overall, the tunnel system of the Gotthard base tunnel, including all tubes, shafts and galleries, measures 151.8 km. One and two thirds of the way along, at Faido and Sedrun, there are multifunction stations, which serve as emergency stopping points and places to change track. The Gotthard base tunnel was built simultaneously in five sections: Erstfeld, Amsteg, Sedrun, Faido and Bodio. The first works were carried out back in 1993, with the Piora exploratory boring, and from 1996 to 1998 with the blasting of the access shafts in Sedrun, Faido and Amsteg. Since 2001, the main lots have been constructed. The final breakthrough in the west tube is planned to take place in April 2011.

http://www.alptransit.ch/en/news/article/2010/10/15/hauptdurchschlag-im-laengsten-eisenbahntunnel-der-welt/

Let´s use the upcoming breakthrough as an opportunity to pay tribute to the current world record holder. :)




Seikan Tunnel (青函トンネル)- World´s longest tunnel

13.03.1988 --- 15.10.2010


13.03.1988, Seikan tunnel was opened for service. It still is the longest tunnel open in service.

When was Seikan tunnel broken through? And when shall Gotthard Base Tunnel open for service?

13.03.1988, Seikan tunnel was opened for service. It still is the longest tunnel open in service.

When was Seikan tunnel broken through? And when shall Gotthard Base Tunnel open for service?

It was expected to open by 2017, but the final opening date will probably be advanced to 2016

It was expected to open by 2017, but the final opening date will probably be advanced to 2016

Why?

Seikan main tunnel was broken through on 10th of March, 1985 (a pilot tunnel had broken through two years earlier). Then it took just 3 years and 3 days to open traffic.

What shall the Swiss be doing with the tunnel before they resume work on the other tunnel sometime in February 2011?

:banana::dance::cucumber: