Impressive numbers about the world's longest railway tunnel

(Baonghean.vn) - The world's longest train tunnel, running through the Alps and taking 17 years to build, will be inaugurated on June 1.

Here are four notable numbers about the project, called the Gotthard Tunnel (GBT):

According to Swiss government statistics, building this 57km tunnel cost more than 12 billion USD and required 2,400 workers. Photo: AFP.

- 57 -

At 57 km long, the GBT will surpass Japan's 53.9 km Seikan Tunnel to become the world's longest train tunnel.

In total, 152 km of tunnels were dug through the mountain range. This includes separate tunnels for northbound and southbound traffic, as well as cross-cutting passages and access tunnels.

More than 28 tons of earth and rock were dug from the mountains near the Gotthard Pass to build a railway tunnel under the Alps.

- 1882 -

It was the year the first railway line over the Gotthard Pass was inaugurated, a milestone in Swiss history that contributed to promoting trade across the Alpine country, which had previously been extremely difficult.

Swiss engineer Carl Eduard Gruner first sketched out the idea for a train tunnel under the Alps at the Gotthard Pass in 1947.

Sixty-nine years later, and with a cost of more than 12 billion Swiss francs ($12 billion), the Gotthard Tunnel is about to open.

The tunnel runs from Erstfeld in the canton of Uri in central Switzerland, to Bodio in the southern canton of Ticino, and reduces the travel time from Zurich to Milan to 2 hours 40 minutes, saving an hour.

- 43,800 -

According to the Swiss Federal Railway Company, this is the number of hours worked non-stop by 125 workers taking three shifts a day to install the GBT's track.

The tunnel was dug by a 410 meter long drilling machine, removing about 28 million tons of earth and rock here.

Railway tunnel diagram.

- 2 hours 40 minutes -

This is the estimated time it will take to travel from Zurich to Milan when the GBT officially opens for passenger service in December, saving 1 hour compared to the current journey.

The Swiss Federal Railways predicts a sharp increase in demand for train travel in the coming years, including a surge in daily passenger numbers from 9,000 today to 15,000 by 2020.

When fully operational, 260 freight trains and 65 passenger trains will run through the GBT every day, at speeds of 200 km/h.

Phu Binh

(According to AFP)