The Gotthard Base Tunnel - World´s Longest Rail Tunnel (57km)

[hans280]

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?

[Coccodrillo]

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.or...ransit_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 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 atlas - they are really woth their price)

[hans280]

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.

[Luganese1980]

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

[Luganese1980]

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

[gramercy]

awesome news

[Deadeye Reloaded]

This month it´s my turn...

Status of Work on the Gotthard and Ceneri

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.


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...

We all know what happened to the Dwarves as they released it from its prison...

[Railfan]

[panda80]

so final breakthrough october-november 2010?

[Coccodrillo]

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

[pcrail]

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

[Coccodrillo]

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.

[gramercy]

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

[Coccodrillo]

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).

[Alexriga]

I hope it opens faster than in 2017.

[gramercy]

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

[antovador]

Originally Posted by Coccodrillo

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

[Coccodrillo]

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

[Coccodrillo]

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.

[hans280]

Originally Posted by Coccodrillo

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?