World longest Railways tunnel finished and almost

cumulus1978

cumulus1978

cumulus1978

Associate
Joined
2 Apr 2011
Posts
1,363
Location
Lugano, switzerland
ready ( year 2016 or 2017 )

WHAT A EMOTION HERE:

http://www.meteosottoceneri.ch/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=55&Itemid=56

( source: alptransit info )
Swiss engineers have smashed through the last stretch of rock to create the longest tunnel in the world.
A gigantic drilling machine broke the remaining wall 8,200 feet (2,500 meters) below the imposing Piz Vatgira peak in the Gotthard massif several minutes ahead of schedule Friday afternoon.
Miners, VIPs and journalists inside the tunnel cheered as Switzerland reclaimed the tunnel record from Japan's Seikan Tunnel.
The 35.4-mile (57-kilometer) Gotthard Base Tunnel is an important milestone in the creation of a high-speed rail network connecting all corners of Europe.
It will allow millions of tons of goods currently transported through the Alps on heavy trucks to be shifted onto the rails.
 
That is quite a feat of engineering with that giant drilling machine. You lot must hold a record for the number of tunnels you have.
 
( source alptransit info )

On March 23, 2011, the miners excavated the last metres of rock in the west tube between Faido and Sedrun. Around five months after the final breakthrough in the east tube, both single-track tunnels of the Gotthard Base Tunnel are therefore completely driven over a continuous length of 57 kilometres.

The tunnel boring machine from Faido broke through into the Sedrun section at 12:20 pm. The miners of the two sections could again shake hands. "With the end of excavation under the Gotthard, a further important milestone has been reached in the construction of the world's longest railway tunnel", says Renzo Simoni, CEO of AlpTransit Gotthard Ltd.

Mainly excavated by tunnel boring machine
With this second final breakthrough, a construction phase comes to an end which began in 2001 in the southern section at Bodio and was already prepared from 1996 with the construction of logistical access tunnels at Amsteg, Sedrun, Faido and Bodio, as well as the sinking of two 800 metres-deep shafts at Sedrun. Of the around 152-kilometres-long tunnel system of the Gotthard Base Tunnel, including all passages and shafts, around 56 % were excavated by tunnel boring machine and around 44 % by drilling and blasting. During the excavations, a total of more than 28 million metric tons of rock were transported out from under the mountains.

Railway infrastructure to be installed by 2016
AlpTransit Gotthard Ltd. will hand over the tunnel to Swiss Federal Railways (SBB) in operating condition at the end of May 2016. Until then, the focus of construction work will be on the tunnel lining, infrastructure systems and railway installations. This work has already started in the previously completed sections of tunnel in parallel with the final driving and concrete-shell construction activities.
 
This is the scenary that we have seen several times on the Gotthard, before the motorway tunnel ( 17 km ) especially in summer. In the tunnel you can also drive at 80 km/h. Sometimes more than 3 hours wait.

f_e3f62f1aed75cb47aa385aadafa8e1fb.jpg
 
cumulus1978 said:
This is the scenary that we have seen several times on the Gotthard, before the motorway tunnel ( 17 km ) especially in summer. In the tunnel you can also drive at 80 km/h. Sometimes more than 3 hours wait.
Click to expand...

I can see the problem with that, all the cars are on the wrong side of the road, no wonder there are hold ups ;)
 
cumulus1978 said:
ready ( year 2016 or 2017 )

WHAT A EMOTION HERE:

http://www.meteosottoceneri.ch/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=55&Itemid=56

( source: alptransit info )
Swiss engineers have smashed through the last stretch of rock to create the longest tunnel in the world.
A gigantic drilling machine broke the remaining wall 8,200 feet (2,500 meters) below the imposing Piz Vatgira peak in the Gotthard massif several minutes ahead of schedule Friday afternoon.
Miners, VIPs and journalists inside the tunnel cheered as Switzerland reclaimed the tunnel record from Japan's Seikan Tunnel.
The 35.4-mile (57-kilometer) Gotthard Base Tunnel is an important milestone in the creation of a high-speed rail network connecting all corners of Europe.
It will allow millions of tons of goods currently transported through the Alps on heavy trucks to be shifted onto the rails.
Click to expand...




i used to work in a coal mine we did thousands of metres in unstable ground, including 3 4500m drifts
with conventional heading machines, mk 3 doscos, mk2a, sl120, and the rh13, and a thyssen titan, and i enjoyed every bit of it, i certainly would go back though lol
 
No offence cumulus but since you've joined, most if not all of your posts are about Switzerland, like a travel brochure.

I'm sure its a great place and I do want to visit sometime in my life.
 
flibbage0 said:
No offence cumulus but since you've joined, most if not all of your posts are about Switzerland, like a travel brochure.

I'm sure its a great place and I do want to visit sometime in my life.
Click to expand...

Yes, I have to talk about what happens where I live, anyway already asked advice for holiday in UK ( for example ).:) I also spoken of various things that happened in other countries. I think that a tunnel like this, can help all Europe and not only Switzerland. We have to say a GREAT THANKS ALL MINERS THAT COME FROM OTHER COUNTRIES.
 
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