Crucial Swiss Rail Tunnel Fully Reopens After 13-Month Closure

(Bloomberg) — Switzerland’s Gotthard tunnel, a key north-south link for Switzerland and Europe, fully re-opened on Monday after almost 13 months of repairs that followed a train derailment in August last year. 

Before the accident, the Gotthard road and rail tunnels accounted for about 10% of the more than 200 million tons of goods that cross the Alps each year, according to Swiss government data.

The longest railroad tunnel in the world at 57 kilometers, it connects the German-speaking parts of Switzerland with Italian-speaking Ticino. It is now fully open for rail traffic, shortening travel times between Zurich and Milan by about one hour and increasing the capacity for freight trains.  

One of the two tubes of the tunnel had already partially reopened in August 2023. Other trains were re-directed over an alternative mountain route. The repair works and losses from its blockage cost 150 million Swiss francs, Swiss railway operator SBB said. 

 

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