Europe’s Gotthard Base Tunnel, the world’s longest and deepest railway tunnel, is going to remain closed to passenger trains for several months after it sustained damage from a derailment on August 10.
The tunnel stretches a little over 57 kilometers in length, between Erstfeld and Bodio, connecting Switzerland and Italy as well as giving an important boost to the European railway network by crossing through the Alps.
It is also the world’s deepest railway tunnel, located at a maximum depth of 2,450 meters, while taking 17 years and approximately $12 billion for it to open in 2016.
As for the accident, a freight train’s 16 cars got derailed and damaged roughly 8 kilometers of track as well as about 20,000 concrete ties, which will have to be replaced.
Repairs are expected to last until the end of the year. However, one of the two sides of the tunnel was unaffected by the incident and is expected to operate again for freight traffic, starting August 23.
Passenger trains will not be allowed into the tunnel until repairs are completed, due to safety concerns. In the meantime, passenger trains will be diverted via the scenic panorama route, which will add 60 minutes to domestic and 120 minutes to international travel times.
Finally, debris was spread across the track, but no one was hurt in the derailment.
Sources: edition.cnn.com, www.theguardian.com, www.cnbc.com, www.bbc.com, en.wikipedia.org
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