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Switzerland’s Gotthard Tunnel sets date for full reopening

Almost a year after a train derailment damaged significant portions of Switzerland's Gotthard Base Tunnel, the SSB announced it would fully reopen after summer.

Published: 28 June 2024 11:17 CEST
Switzerland's Gotthard Tunnel sets date for full reopening
Opened in 2016, the Gotthard Base Tunnel is the world's longest rail tunnel. Photo: Fabrice Coffrini / AFP

 In a statement published on their news portal, SBB stated that normal passenger train services through the tunnel will resume from September 2nd. 

Describing progress towards the reopening, SBB stated: “The repair work in the western tube of the Gotthard Base Tunnel is on track. Next comes the test and trial operation.”

For several weeks before opening, empty trains will run through the tunnel to test the repairs that have been made. 

The Gotthard Tunnel as show on Google Maps. 

Once the tunnel is reopened, the SBB also states that passenger trains will run every half an hour – a first. 

READ MORE: World’s longest tunnel opens regular service in Switzerland

Faulty wheel to blame 

On August 10th 2023, a goods train derailed approximately ten kilometres into the tunnel, severely damaging several kilometres of track and costing CHF 150 million to repair. 

Extensive investigations after the crash revealed that hairline fractures in a wagon wheel caused the accident. Pieces of the wheel flew off, causing the carriage to jump the tracks and derail the train. 

To avoid a repeat of the derailment that caused the tunnel to close, a speed limit of 160 kilometres will be introduced for trains entering the portal lane change in front of the tunnel entrances.

An essential link

Taking almost 17 years to complete, and decades in the planning, the Gotthard Base Tunnel is the longest rail tunnel in the world, stretching fifty-seven kilometres under the Swiss Alps and Gotthard Massif. 

A north-south route, trains enter the tunnel from Erstfeld, in the canton of Uri, and from Bocio, in the canton of Ticino. 

An essential link between Switzerland’s German-speaking and Italian-speaking cantons, it cost around CHF 9.7 billion to complete – a massive infrastructure project. 

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TRAVEL NEWS

‘Geneva flops’: Swiss city singled out for lacking direct European train connections

Geneva has been singled out as lacking direct train connections to other major European cities, according to a new Greenpeace analysis.

Published: 2 July 2024 11:30 CEST
'Geneva flops': Swiss city singled out for lacking direct European train connections

The city’s four direct train connections – to Lyon, Milan, Paris, and Zurich – pale in comparison to other major European cities such as Vienna (17 connections), Munich (15) and Berlin (14). 

 ‘Zurich OK, Geneva flops’.is the verdict of the global environmentalist organisation. 

Their ‘Connection Failed’ analysis, published on Tuesday, found that Switzerland’s capital of international diplomacy and research could support up to 25 more direct connections to other cities. 

The analysis also found that Zurich could potentially run more than 15 different direct routes. 

READ MORE: The night trains to take from Switzerland around Europe this summer

Greenpeace also highlighted the relative lack of night trains in Switzerland in their analysis.

Nine night trains run from Zurich while none depart from Geneva – a substantial gap from Vienna’s 16 and Bucharest’s 12. 

Demanding urgent action on climate change, the environmental organisation called on the federal government and the SBB to prioritise a significant increase in the number of direct connections from both Geneva and Zurich.

Roland Gysin, the media spokesman, stated: “On average, planes emit almost five times as many climate-damaging greenhouse gases as trains. 

READ MORE: The little-known Swiss train rules you need to respect

“This makes a well-developed cross-border rail network all the more important. One of the reasons why travellers choose to fly instead of taking the train is the lack of direct trains.”

They also called for the abolition of tax breaks and subsidies, as well as the introduction of a ‘kerosene tax’ on airlines. The resulting higher fares would serve to persuade travellers to choose rail travel. over flying

The Swiss government appears to share some of Greenpeace’s concerns. A major component of the SBB’s STEP ES 2025 expansion plans is an increase in capacity at Geneva’s main station, making further direct connections more likely.

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