Worlds longest tunnel

platypus · 1 Jun 2016 at 10:19

The world's longest and deepest rail tunnel is to be officially opened in Switzerland, after almost two decades of construction work.
The 57km (35-mile) twin-bore Gotthard base tunnel will provide a high-speed rail link under the Swiss Alps between northern and southern Europe.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-36423250

What an awesome engineering project, makes me wish we could do things like this at this cost; £8.3bn compared to the ridiculous, ever escalating costs of HS2.

In addition to which:

The tunnel is being financed by value-added and fuel taxes, road charges on heavy vehicles and state loans that are due to be repaid within a decade.

Having it paid off within a decade is a pretty incredible schedule.

The thing that stood out most for me though was that the swiss voted to move all freight travelling through Switzerland from road to rail two years later. I can only dream of that happening here.

tom_e · 1 Jun 2016 at 10:20

On time and within budget would take a miracle here.

Cosimo · 1 Jun 2016 at 10:25

Hagar · 1 Jun 2016 at 10:26

Hard rock tunnelling through the base of a mountain seems to be much simpler than driving a railway through Hertfordshire.

stuman · 1 Jun 2016 at 10:29

the power of the NIMBY makes mountains seem like childs play.

platypus · 1 Jun 2016 at 10:30

I suppose burying stuff underground circumvents the NIMBY

.

Qjumper · 1 Jun 2016 at 10:32

On programme and on price.. Has this ever happened in this country on a large scale Project... Of course not.. Shame really.

An amazing feat of engineering, if only.......

scorza · 1 Jun 2016 at 10:34

platypus said:
What an awesome engineering project, makes me wish we could do things like this at this cost; £8.3bn compared to the ridiculous, ever escalating costs of HS2.

In addition to which:
Having it paid off within a decade is a pretty incredible schedule.

The thing that stood out most for me though was that the swiss voted to move all freight travelling through Switzerland from road to rail two years later. I can only dream of that happening here.

Indeed - Switzerland has an excellent system of democracy.

Is that £8.3bn cost at today's value of money, or when they started 17 years ago? Because we built the Channel Tunnel for £4.5bn (1985 prices) or £13bn at today's prices.

platypus · 1 Jun 2016 at 10:40

scorza said:
Indeed - Switzerland has an excellent system of democracy.

Is that £8.3bn cost at today's value of money, or when they started 17 years ago? Because we built the Channel Tunnel for £4.5bn (1985 prices) or £13bn at today's prices.

Very good question, only figure I can find is £8.2Bn overall cost. Can't find its inital projected cost from 17 years ago either.

adolf hamster · 1 Jun 2016 at 10:43

platypus said:
I suppose burying stuff underground circumvents the NIMBY .

Makes it into a NUMBY issue then sadly

Skillmister · 1 Jun 2016 at 10:48

Most of that news story is something the UK could only dream of achieving. Imagine taking a million lorries a year off our roads :eek:

HS2 current budget at £42.6b

Kreeeee · 1 Jun 2016 at 10:52

scorza · 1 Jun 2016 at 11:04

Skillmister said:
Most of that news story is something the UK could only dream of achieving. Imagine taking a million lorries a year off our roads

Worth pointing out as well that this tunnel will take freight travelling through Switzerland off the roads which I take to mean freight that neither originates in nor is destined for a location in Switzerland. I would imagine that most freight on the UK's roads originates from the UK or is destined for the UK, which hampers efforts to move it to rail.

platypus · 1 Jun 2016 at 11:07

scorza said:
I would imagine that most freight on the UK's roads originates from the UK or is destined for the UK, which hampers efforts to move it to rail.

I'm not sure that this is the case actually, I can't back this up at present but I seem to recall reading that the UK is used by a lot of other countries as a "via".

This could have been pub chat or the like though.

Abraxaz1 · 1 Jun 2016 at 11:16

platypus said:
I suppose burying stuff underground circumvents the NIMBY .

You say that, we still have famers bitching about buried gas pipelines even though they got compensated for it. :rolleyes:

And local greenies trying to block another one...

George Hincapie · 1 Jun 2016 at 11:31

platypus said:
I suppose burying stuff underground circumvents the NIMBY .

That's actually a really good idea. Was that ever considered for HS2?

Freefaller · 1 Jun 2016 at 11:36

George Hincapie said:
That's actually a really good idea. Was that ever considered for HS2?

Yup. Too cost prohibitive unfortunately.

I had an opportunity to work on that tunnel but ended up at Crossrail instead which is just as exciting

platypus · 1 Jun 2016 at 11:47

George Hincapie said:
That's actually a really good idea. Was that ever considered for HS2?

I just think in this country it would cost £100Bn+.

Glaucus · 1 Jun 2016 at 11:49

nkata said:
Hard rock tunnelling through the base of a mountain seems to be much simpler than driving a railway through Hertfordshire.

it is for the most part, no one really owns the ground, so no compulsory purchases and thus far less protests and uncertainty.

platypus · 1 Jun 2016 at 11:51

Freefaller said:
Yup. Too cost prohibitive unfortunately.

I had an opportunity to work on that tunnel but ended up at Crossrail instead which is just as exciting

Perhaps you could tell us why Crossrail two is projected to cost £32Bn? Sure, its twice the length of the Gotthard Base, but it's not as deep and costs considerably more than double.