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Backgrounder: Chronology of world's longest railway tunnel

Xinhua, June 1, 2016 Adjust font size:

The Gotthard Base Tunnel, the world's longest railway tunnel, officially opened on Wednesday in Switzerland. Covering 57.1 km, the project cost around 12.2 billion Swiss francs (12.35 billion U.S. dollars) and connects Bodio in the Swiss Canton of Ticino with Erstfeld in the Canton of Uri. Following is a brief chronology of the tunnel's construction project:

1947 -- First drawings for a base tunnel through the Alps in Switzerland (between Amsteg and Bodio)

1963 -- Commission on a rail tunnel through the Alps examines the different options

1989 -- The Swiss Federal Council decides on the network called the New Rail Link through the Alps (NRLA) which includes the construction of Gotthard Base Tunnels, Ceneri Base Tunnel and Lotschberg tunnel.

1992 -- The Swiss people approve the bill for the NRLA

1995 -- Decision made on the route of the Gotthard Base Tunnel (GBT)

1998 -- Start of work on the main part of the GBT

2002 -- First tunnel boring machine in use in the GBT

2010 -- Breakthrough in the main part of the GBT

2016 -- Official opening of the GBT. Enditem