Gotthard Tunnel

Gotthard Tunnel

Inside the tunnel
Overview
Official name	German: Gotthardtunnel, Italian: Galleria del San Gottardo
Line	Gotthard Line
Location	Traversing the Saint-Gotthard Massif in the middle of the Swiss Alps
Coordinates	46°35′44″N 8°35′44″E / 46.59556°N 8.59556°E / 46.59556; 8.59556
System	Swiss Federal Railways (SBB CFF FFS)
Start	Göschenen, canton of Uri (north, 1,106 m or 3,629 ft)
End	Airolo, canton of Ticino (south, 1,145 m or 3,757 ft)
Operation
Work begun	September 13, 1872 (1872-09-13)
Opened	June 1, 1882 (1882-06-01)[1]
Owner	SBB CFF FFS
Operator	SBB Infrastructure
Traffic	railway
Character	passenger, freight
Technical
Design engineer	Louis Favre
Length	15,002.64 m (9.32221 mi)[1]
No. of tracks	Double
Track gauge	1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) (standard gauge)
Electrified	15 kV 16.7 Hz since September 18, 1920 (1920-09-18)[1]
Highest elevation	1,151 m (3,776 ft) (inside the tunnel)
Lowest elevation	1,106 m (3,629 ft) (north portal)
Tunnel clearance	7.1 m (23 ft 4 in)
Width	8.0 m (26 ft 3 in)
Route map

The Gotthard Tunnel (German: Gotthardtunnel, Italian: Galleria del San Gottardo) is a 15-kilometre-long (9.3 mi) railway tunnel that forms the summit of the Gotthard Railway in Switzerland. It connects Göschenen with Airolo and was the first tunnel through the Saint-Gotthard Massif in order to bypass the St Gotthard Pass. It was built as single bore tunnel accommodating a standard gauge double-track railway throughout.^[2] When opened in 1882, the Gotthard Tunnel was the longest tunnel in the world.

The tunnel rises from the northern portal at Göschenen (1,106 m or 3,629 ft) and the highest point (1,151 m or 3,776 ft) is reached after approximately eight kilometres (5 mi). After two more kilometers, the border between the cantons of Uri and Ticino is passed; after another five kilometres (3 mi), the tunnel ends at the southern portal near to Airolo (1,142 m or 3,747 ft). The trip takes about seven to eight minutes by train. Services are operated by the Swiss Federal Railways.