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Gotthard Base Tunnel, world’s longest rail tunnel starts regular service

Monday, 12 December 2016


  • The famed Gotthard Base Tunnel (GBT) has started regular commercial rail service in Switzerland. 
  • The first regular train to use GBT ferried passenger from Zurich to Lugano. 
  • The twin-bore GBT is world’s longest and deepest railway tunnel with length of 57-kilometer. 
  • It had overtaken Japan’s Seikan tunnel (53.9 kilometers) as the longest rail tunnel in world after it was opened in June 2016 for its maiden ride. 
  • Key Facts GBT is the first flat low-level route through the Alps Mountain. 
  • It is situated 2.3 km deep under these mountains and57-kilometer long. 
  • It connects northern and southern Europe and also shortens travel time for many rail routes It was built in 17 years’ time frame starting in 1992 as a part of AlpTransit project, also known as New Railway Link through the Alps (NRLA). 
  • It consists of two single-track tunnels connecting Erstfeld (Uri) with Bodio (Ticino) and passing below Sedrun (Graubünden). 
  • The main purpose of the GBT is to increase total transport capacity across the Alps, especially for freight.


Source: http://currentaffairs.gktoday.in/

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