Tracklaying completed in Gotthard Base Tunnel

摘要

Amilestone in the construction of the world's longest railway tunnel was celebrated at noon on October 31, when a ceremonial gold sleeper was laid to mark the completion of tracklaying in the Gotthard Base Tunnel. The completion of this phase of the project means diesel locomotives can now run through the entire length of the 57km twin-bore tunnel. Around 290km of rails were laid on the trackbed laid by a concreting train, which was specially developed for the Gotthard project. This enabled the concrete to be mixed on site and poured directly onto the trackbed. The work took 39 months to complete with around 125 workers working in shifts 24 hours a day.