The Gotthard Base Tunnel is completed
After 20 years of construction, the first trains are now running through Switzerland's Gotthard Base Tunnel. With a route length of 57 km (35 mi) and a total of 152 km (94 mi) of tunnels, shafts and passages, it becomes the world's longest rail tunnel (though it will soon be surpassed by an even longer rail tunnel in China).
Running directly through the Alps mountain range, at depths of up to 2500m, it cuts the 3.5-hour travel time from Zürich to Milan by an hour, while the journey from Zürich to Lugano is reduced to one hour 40 minutes. Passenger trains operate as fast as 250 km/h (155 mph) through the new tunnels.
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