Tailbacks to enter the Gotthard tunnel going south on Saturday reached a record since 1999
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The San Bernardino tunnel in the Swiss Alps has re-opened following a fire last Friday. Traffic started passing through the 6.6 kilometre (4.1 mile) structure at 5am on Thursday, the Federal Roads Office confirmed.
A stretch of around 100 metres had been damaged – mostly electromechanical equipment and safety features – but after intensive work the tunnel could be re-opened within a short period, the office said. To allow further inspections, the San Bernardino will shut again on Friday and Sunday, on both days between 1am and 3am.
The major tunnel in southeastern Switzerland was closed on May 18 after a German coach caught fire, causing record traffic jams in the region. The tunnel is an alternative route to the Gotthard artery connecting northern and southern Switzerland, and a popular route for European holidaymakers heading south.
As a result of the closure, queues of up to 28 kilometres were reported at the northern entrance to the Gotthard tunnel on Saturday. The disruptions were exacerbated by the long Pentecost weekend.
The bus was carrying 22 passengers and caught fire some 500 metres before the northern end of the tunnel. All passengers were able to leave safely and there were no serious casualties, reported the local police.
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Long Gotthard tailbacks for holiday weekend
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Holiday-weekend traffic has been causing long tail-backs at both ends of the Gotthard tunnel in central Switzerland, up to two-hour jams.
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The north-south Gotthard road tunnel in southern Switzerland is currently closed due to a mudslide that hit the A2 motorway on Monday.
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The accident occurred at 9:15am five kilometres from the northern entry at Göschenen in canton Uri, the police said. For reasons still unknown, a German motorist coming from the south drifted the wrong way, colliding into a Swiss-registered truck. The tunnel infrastructure was also damaged, according to the Viasuisse Traffic Information Service. Traffic jams formed…
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