Swiss officials said there were “no indications” of when the Gotthard Tunnel will reopen.
The Gotthard tunnel in Switzerland, the world’s longest and deepest rail tunnel, will remain closed for months after an accident caused by a freight train derailment.
Sixteen freight cars derailed, smashing eight kilometers of railroad tracks. The “engineered marvel” tunnel opened in 2016 has become unusable.
The Gotthard rail link, which opened in 2016, took 20 years to build and cost more than $12 billion.
Vincent Ducrot, CEO of national Swiss rail operator SBB, said Gotthard is one of the safest tunnels in the world.
“We were very impressed by the fact that such an accident could happen,” said Ducrot. “Luckily there were no injuries but substantial property damage.”
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An investigation is being conducted by the Swiss Transport Safety Investigation Board (STSB) and the prosecutor’s office of the Canton of Ticino.
Gotthard Tunnel: To be Closed to Passenger Trains
Railway operator SBB said that in total, about 8 km of rails and 20,000 concrete sleepers need to be replaced.
SBB said one side of the tunnel is unaffected and should be operational “in principle” for freight transport from 23 August, but passenger trains cannot use the unaffected side for safety reasons.
Besides carrying passengers, Gotthard is an important cargo gateway, especially between Germany and Italy.
More than two-thirds of rail freight traffic in the Alps passed through the tunnel last year.
Journey times will now take at least 60 minutes longer and international travelers will need to change trains in Chiasso.
Only trains to and from Genoa and Venice will operate directly, SBB said.
The tunnel was built to shorten travel times, relieve road traffic and contribute to reducing air pollution.
Although Switzerland is not one of the 27 members of the European Union, it is of great importance in the EU rail network thanks to this shortcut through the Alps. The tunnel joins a wider rail network stretching from the Dutch port city of Rotterdam to Genoa, Italy.
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