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Switzerland launches railway tunnel countdown at Expo Milano

Xinhua, June 9, 2015 Adjust font size:

Swiss Federal Councillor Doris Leuthard on Monday officially started the countdown to inaugurate a railway tunnel through the Alps in Switzerland at the Swiss Pavilion in Expo Milano 2015.

The Gotthard Base Tunnel, expected to be opened on June 1, 2016, will be the world's longest railway tunnel with a route length of 57 km.

"Switzerland creates a structure from which not only us, but also future generations will be benefited," Leuthard said in her speech, according to the Swiss Pavilion press officer.

"The Gotthard Base Tunnel is of great importance for Switzerland and for Europe," Leuthard said.

A model of the tunnel can be visited at the Swiss Pavilion, giving the visitors the impression of the trains' speed through static and interactive elements and light effects.

The Swiss pavilion takes the form of a large, open platform measuring 4,432 square meters with four towers visible from a distance, each of them filled with foodstuffs.

Roughly 150 countries and international organizations are taking part in the Expo Milano 2015 with the theme of "Feeding the Planet, Energy for Life". Endit