Gotthard Base Tunnel

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Gotthard
base tunnel Galleria di base del San Gottardo
Route of the Gotthard Base Tunnel
Timetable field : 600
Route length: 57.1 km
Gauge : 1435 mm ( standard gauge )
Power system : 15 kV, 16.7 Hz  ~
Maximum slope : 4.055 (north) / 6.76 (south)  ‰
Top speed: 200 km / h
Train control : ETCS level 2
Driving speed: Freight trains: 100–160 km / h
Passenger trains: 200 km / h
Trains / day (maximum): 200–260 freight trains
65 passenger trains
Transport performance
(freight trains):		 40 million tons / year
Construction data
Start of building:
Piora probing system: 1993
Blasting access
tunnel and
assembly caverns for TBM :		 1996
Official start: November 4, 1999
TBM tunneling: Nov. 2002-2011
Penetration : East tube: Oct. 15, 2010
West tube: March 23, 2011
Installation of railway technology: Completed
in September 2015
Moved rock mass: 28.2 million tons
Construction costs (as of June 2010): CHF 12 billion
Opening / commissioning
Official opening: June 1, 2016
Freight traffic: 5th September 2016
Passenger traffic: December 11, 2016
Route
Legend
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From Lucerne / Zurich
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38.66 Rynächt (old kilometrage)
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Connection of the old Gotthard Railway
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0.0 km North portal World icon
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7.7 km Intermediate attack on Amsteg World icon
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21 km Intermediate attack / multifunctional station Sedrun World icon
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41 km Intermediate attack / multifunctional station Faido World icon
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57 km Bodio south portal World icon
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Connection of the old Gotthard Railway
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Turn off to Biasca
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Biasca old Gotthard railway -distanceWorld icon
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Merging of the old and new route near Iragna
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To Bellinzona

The Gotthard base tunnel ( French: Tunnel de base du Saint-Gothard , Italian: Galleria di base del San Gottardo , Rhaeto-Romanic: Tunnel da basa dal Son Gottard ) is 57 km and is the longest railway tunnel in the world . It crosses the central Swiss Alps in a north-south direction and thus crosses under the Gotthard massif, among other things . The Gotthard Base Tunnel is a section of the Gotthard Railway and of the New Railway Alpine Transversal - NEAT, which covers all of Switzerland . The tunnel connects at a height of 312 to 549  m above sea level. M. (vertex) and more directly than the older Gotthard Railway (1882; summit tunnel under the Gotthard massif : 1151  m above sea level ) the German-speaking canton of Uri (north portal at Erstfeld , 460  m above sea level ) with the Italian-speaking canton of Ticino (south portal at Bodio TI , 312  m above sea level ) and consists of two 57 km long, parallel running tunnels, which with the mountain layers rising to 2450 m above them also have the world's highest rock cover (approximately below Piz Vatgira ).

North portal of the Gotthard Base Tunnel

In two places, trains can change tracks between the two tubes, depending on the operating situation. In addition, there are 176 connecting tunnels for pedestrians between the two tubes (crosscuts) at a distance of around 325 meters, which in the safety concept serve to evacuate from one tube to the other. The center distance between the two tubes is usually 40 meters (max. 70 m). A total of 151.84 km of tunnels and tunnels were drilled and blasted into the mountain.

The Gotthard Railway's mountain line, which went into operation in 1882, with the 15 km long summit tunnel at a higher level, will initially remain in operation alongside the new line through the base tunnel. The connecting lines to and in Germany (especially on the upgraded and new Karlsruhe – Basel line ) and Italy still have to be expanded so that they can use the increased capacity through the mountains.

The official opening - after 17 years of construction - was on June 1, 2016. Scheduled passenger transport began on December 11, 2016 after several months of trial operation; Freight traffic started on September 5th.

purpose

The new Gotthard base tunnel, together with the planned Zimmerberg base tunnel, forms the northern part of the Gotthard axis of the NEAT .

The travel time in passenger traffic with tilting trains between Zurich and Milan will be technically reduced in future by the Gotthard Base Tunnel, the Ceneri Base Tunnel (planned to go into operation in 2020) and the access routes in Italy by around one hour to around 2 hours 40 minutes.

For freight traffic, this will enable the relocation of heavy traffic to rail, as required by the Alpine Initiative and enshrined in the constitution, using faster and heavier trains . Experts expect that the transport volume will almost double in the foreseeable future to an estimated 40 million tons / year. In addition to the shortening of the route, the training as a flat railway is particularly important , so that freight trains with a total weight of up to 4,000 tons can travel at a higher speed than before. On the old Gotthard route, which is around 30 km longer, with its apex around 600 m higher ( 1151  m above sea level instead of 549  m above sea level ), two locomotives can only pull trains weighing a maximum of 1400 tons.

Single-running four-axle locomotives can move trains up to 1,700 t to the south or 1,400 t to the north through the base tunnel.

Location, course and geology

The Gotthard Base Tunnel connects Erstfeld in the Uri valley floor of the Reuss with Bodio near Biasca in the canton of Ticino.

The tunnel lies in the course of the previous Gotthard Railway . The length specifications in km are to be set in relation to the old kilometrage of the entire route, which has thus become shorter overall.

The geological conditions were clarified with numerous test boreholes as well as temperature measurements and seismic investigations before the start of construction: Different types of rock were found, from hard granite to flexible phyllites and slates from the Urseren-Garvera zone and the Tavetscher intermediate massif . Outside these problem areas, different types of gneiss predominate, such as Erstfeld gneiss or the strip gneiss of the Gotthard massif , in the south in the Penninic gneiss zone mainly Leventina and Lucomagno gneiss. By the sample wells could be demonstrated that a dreaded geological key location that with saccharoidal dolomite filled Piora syncline at tunnel level of dolomite marble is no water pressure and flow. (Sugar-grain dolomite becomes completely cohesionless under the influence of water and under pressure , so to a certain extent liquid.) With the drilling of the zone in autumn 2008, the concerns were finally over. Instead, Kakirit , a soft, flowing rock powder , was found elsewhere , which entailed extensive measures to secure and solidify it.

The minimum curve radius in the tunnel is 5000 m. The north portal (upper edge of the rail) is at a height of 460  m above sea level. M. , the south portal at a height of 312  m . The apex of the tunnel is 549 m above sea level. The largest overburden is 2450 m. The gradient rises from the north portal to the center by a total of 89 m with a maximum of 4.055 ‰, from the south 237 m with a maximum of 6.76 ‰ are overcome. The projected maximum speed is 250 km / h.

The two tubes are connected to each other with 176 cross tunnels at a longitudinal distance of 325 m. The distance, initially set at 650 m, was halved after the tunnel fire in 1999 in the Mont Blanc tunnel .

GBT and the Weather 3 (north) .jpg
GBT and the Weather 3 (south) .jpg


North and south portal on April 19, 2017
46 ° 49'51.3 "N  008 ° 38'57.4" E 46 ° 22'20.6 "N 008 ° 55'39.6" E   

cross-section

The tunnel profile was derived from SBB's EBV 4 clearance profile . For aerodynamic and climatic considerations, a free cross-sectional area in the tunnel of 41 m² was determined. The excavation diameter of about 9.20 m leads to an inner diameter of about 7.76 m. The escape protection is carried out with 20 cm of shotcrete (→ New Austrian Tunneling Method ), which is followed by an inner shell made of in-situ concrete of at least 30 cm. The inner vault can be up to 110 cm thick, and reinforcement is also installed in the event of high mountain pressure .

history

Intermodal freight train on the old Gotthard Railway

background

In 1947 Eduard Gruner presented a project idea for a Gotthard base tunnel with an underground station in the Surselva . In 1961, the Department of the Interior had a first project drawn up which envisaged a 45 km long double-track tunnel for 200 km / h between Amsteg and Giornico ; Intermediate attacks were to be set up at Selva and Chiggiogna , and an overtaking station was also planned in the middle .

From 1963 onwards, the “Commission for Railway Tunnels through the Alps” (KEA) set up by the Federal Council subjected all variants under discussion at the time to a technical, operational and economic assessment: Lötschberg , Gotthard West (Lucerne / Interlaken-Locarno), Tödi - Greina , Splügen as well as Gotthard base . At the same time, the base tunnel project from 1961 was further developed. The background was the strong growth in traffic during the boom. As a result of political disputes and an economic recession, the plan was initially not implemented.

In August 1965 a 1.6 km deep exploratory borehole was completed near the Lukmanier pass . A 45 km long base tunnel was planned between Erstfeld and Biasca. In its final report from 1970, KEA favored a Gotthard base tunnel. The SBB then received the order to work out the construction project for a baseline between Erstfeld and Biasca, as a double-track tunnel around 50 km in length. An application was made to the Swiss Parliament in 1973 to start this project. Years of disputes over the line followed. After freight traffic had declined as a result of a recession from 1973, the SBB decided to complete the project planning work. On behalf of the Federal Council, a contact group from the eight eastern Swiss cantons examined the Gotthard and Splügen options from 1974 to 1979 , but did not come to any recommendation. The phase of the early NEAT studies ended in 1983 with the decision of the Federal Council that a “decision to build a new railway crossing through the Alps (...) is not yet urgent today”.

As early as 1964, the Federal Council surprisingly presented a message for a Gotthard road tunnel , which went into construction in 1968 without great resistance and comparative studies.

At the end of the 1980s, the Gotthard Base Tunnel project was one of five railway tunnel projects discussed in the Swiss Alps. In addition to the Lötschberg Base Tunnel , it was submitted in a modified form for a political decision at the end of the 1980s. The projects of the Y-branch base tunnel, the Splügen base tunnel and the Simplon base tunnel, however, have been postponed.

In the 1980s, the pressure on the Swiss transit axes increased, and legal restrictions on road freight traffic were also increasingly criticized. For reasons of environmental protection, settlement policy and transport policy, capacities in road-Alpine transit should not be expanded. The Minister of Transport thereupon gave the order to develop a procedure for a possible rapid implementation of a new rail link through the Alps. The Ostalpenbahn considerations were buried with the implementation of the NEAT, decided in 1986, which made a politically sound route indispensable.

In December 1988, the SBB spoke out in favor of the Gotthard Base Tunnel. After detailed deliberations, the Swiss government decided in mid-May 1989 on the course of the New Railway Alpine Transversal (NEAT). In addition to the expected decision in favor of the Gotthard Base Tunnel, it was also decided to build the Lötschberg Base Tunnel. In addition to a 49 km long tunnel between Amsteg and Bodio, a variant of the Gotthard East was to be examined in the further course , which provided for a connection to eastern Switzerland (via Ziegelbrücke - Linthal and Chur - Trun ). The estimated total costs were put at three billion Swiss francs . A further CHF 2.4 billion was earmarked for the expansion of the access routes to the Gotthard tunnel. For a later implementation of the east variant, the additional costs of which were estimated at 0.5 to 1.0 billion francs, construction work in the amount of around 50 million francs (Y-branch) should be provided.

In 1989/1991/1992 the resolution for the NEAT was passed. After a subsequent change in the plan was carried out initial pass of the Gotthard Base Tunnel on 4 November 1999. (More about the political background in the article NEAT )

After the first blast in the main gallery on February 4, 1999, the tunnel was expected to be completed between 2010 and 2012. Until then, around 700 million francs had been spent on planning and construction.

Project planning and preparation phase

Schematic representation of the Gotthard Base Tunnel (green: excavation end of 2009)
Faido emergency stop (2014)

The decision was made to use two single-lane tunnels that are around 40 meters apart and are connected every 312.5 m by cross tunnels. At two air-conditioned multifunctional points ( Sedrun and Faido ) accessible from the outside , lane changes and emergency stops are possible; Technical rooms for rail operations and ventilation are also attached. One fifth of the excavated material with a volume of more than 10 million m³ is reused as concrete additive , the rest is dumped in natural depressions and old quarries, sold as gravel and a small part is poured into Lake Lucerne for the renaturation of a river delta .

Of the total of around 152 kilometers of tunnels, including all tunnels and shafts, 56 percent were constructed using tunnel boring machines (TBM) and 44 percent using conventional blasting. If you only look at the two main tubes, 80% of them were constructed with TBM and 20% with conventional blasting. Up to 2,400 people worked on the tunnel construction sites. The drive was carried out in three shifts around the clock.

A tunnel vault made of in-situ concrete , at least 30 cm thick, ensures the load-bearing capacity. Accumulating tunnel water is discharged through a channel (Ø 60 cm) below the tunnel. The expected temperature of 50  degrees Celsius requires permanent air exchange . The trains passing through are supposed to squeeze out the air through the piston effect . If this is not enough, mechanical ventilation is retrofitted.

AlpTransit Gotthard AG (ATG), a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Swiss Federal Railways (SBB), has overall responsibility for the project . At the beginning of the construction work, access tunnels were dug from four different places. The multifunctional station (MFS) Faido is connected to the outside world by a 2.7 km long cross tunnel with a gradient of 13%. Greater effort was required for the MFS Sedrun: first, an almost one kilometer long access tunnel and a 450 m long ventilation tunnel were driven horizontally into the mountain. From this point two shafts lead 800 m deep to the level of the rail tunnel, which were drilled by the South African specialist company Shaft Sinkers . It was only from there that the actual construction work on the base tunnel began. This division was expected to reduce the construction time by half.

On October 15, 2010, the eastern tube was broken through, 27 km from the north portal and around 2500 meters below the summit of the 2983 m high Piz Vatgira . The deviation was 8 cm horizontally and 1 cm vertically. The last breakthrough in the west tube took place on March 23, 2011.

A total of 28.2 million cubic meters of material was excavated.

The time when the Gotthard Base Tunnel is expected to go into operation has been postponed several times. Since 2007 it was planned for 2017, from 2011 December 2016 was mentioned.

  • In the eastern tunnel at Amsteg

  • East tube in Faido with TBM

  • Construction site at the south portal near Bodio

construction

Erstfeld section

In the area of ​​the north portal near Erstfeld in the canton of Uri, the start of mechanical tunneling was delayed. As a result of the repeated objection by an applicant who was unsuccessful in the selection process, the construction contract for this section could only be awarded in February 2007. After excavation of the launch tubes and the construction of the tunnel boring machine (TBM) Gabi I (S-229), drilling work began in the east tube on December 4, 2007, Gabi II (S-230) followed in the west tube from mid-2008.

The overall schedule, which in 2002 was based on commissioning in 2013/14, was changed due to this delay and technical difficulties in other sections.

Despite these delays, the drills were able to excavate the 7.6-kilometer section in less than two years. The breakthrough took place on June 16, 2009 at 11:58 a.m., six months earlier than planned. The horizontal and vertical deviation was less than one centimeter.

Amsteg section

From the intermediate attack in Amsteg , the two tunnel boring machines Gabi I + II (S-421 + S-422) drilled south to the Sedrun multifunctional station . In doing so, fault zones with loose rock had to be driven through, which in some cases severely hindered the advance. The two TBMs covered the 11.35 km to the breakthrough in the Sedrun construction lot nine months earlier than planned and were transported backwards to be used again in Erstfeld.

Sedrun section

In the Sedrun section, a few hundred meters had to be excavated in very demanding rock by blasting in a northerly direction by summer 2007 until the breakthrough was possible on October 17, 2007 in the tubes drilled by the two TBMs.

The breakthrough on the southern side between the multifunctional stations Sedrun and Faido took place in the east tunnel on October 15, 2010. The event was prepared by the media and broadcast live on television. Cameras were posted both by the tunnel boring machine on Faido's side and by the invited guests on the Sedrun side. The television viewers could see how the separating rock wall of around 10 meters in diameter fell from the rotating drill head in chunks in front of the guests of honor and was finally breached at 2:17 pm.

Faido section

The 1st TBM from Bodio broke through on September 6, 2006 into the multifunctional station in Faido.
Branch in the multifunctional station Faido (2006)

In the Faido section, where smaller collapses repeatedly occurred due to the enormous pressure of the mountains, they were behind schedule for years. Therefore, in 2006, the client, AlpTransit Gotthard AG, decided to redeem an option in the contracts with the construction consortia and to move the boundary for the Sedrun construction lot by one kilometer to the south in order to compensate for the deficit in Faido.

From late summer and winter 2007, two tunnel boring machines were used to drill in the direction of Sedrun. The breakthrough took place in the east tube on October 15, 2010, and in the west tube on March 23, 2011.

Section Bodio

In the section from the south portal near Bodio , the two tunnel tubes with a diameter of approx. 8.80 meters each were driven north in the direction of Faido with tunnel boring machines (TBM). Construction began on the 15-kilometer-long section in the east tube in November 2002 and in the west tube in February 2003. The breakthrough in the Faido multifunctional station, around 2 km long, was planned for April 2005, but it was due to geological reasons Problems only 17 months later on September 6, 2006 (east tube), the one in the west tube on October 26, 2006.

Tunnel boring machines

The two tunnel boring machines (TBM) used on the Ticino side had a boring head with a diameter of 8.89 m, which was provided with 58 roller bits and was driven by ten motors with 350 kW each. The devices from the manufacturer Herrenknecht in Schwanau in Baden-Württemberg were named Heidi (S-211) and Sissi (S-210) and were around 400 m long, including the trailer.

After the breakthrough in 2006, the two TBMs were initially overhauled and the drill heads were expanded from 8.89 m to 9.43 m before they were turned in the summer of 2007 for the rest of the Faido construction lot in the direction of Sedrun.

Accidents and deaths

According to a report by Allianz Suisse, a total of nine construction workers died.

Details of the accidents during the construction of the tunnel
date people root cause
June 8, 2000 1 "... hit by the conveyor rod ..."
March 12, 2001 1 Spilled with excavated material
April 3, 2003 1 "... killed by boulders ..."
September 11, 2003 1 "... crushed by a falling cable drum ..."
January 21, 2005 2 Derailment of a wagon with demolition material, collision with a service car
November 23, 2006 1 trapped by ballast wagons
June 24, 2010 1 "... crushed by a car ..."
June 16, 2012 1 "... fell off the scaffolding ..."

Security concepts

South portal

To protect the passengers, multi-function points with a transfer and rescue option were set up around the third points.

Special rescue trains are ready to leave at both portals within 5 minutes of being alerted. They reach up to 100 km / h. The aim is to reach every incident point in the base tunnel within 45 minutes and to be able to initiate rescue measures.

The multi-function stations Faido and Sedrun include two track changes, so that you can often drive out of a possibly smoky section of the railway without changing direction. There is an emergency stop in each tube at both MFS (four in total). This is provided with two-meter-wide sidewalks and illuminated over a length of 450 m. Intermediate gates seal off the two tubes from one another. In case of need or emergency, passengers go through one of six connecting tunnels into a parallel tunnel, the air of which is slightly overpressure and therefore remains smoke-free. Via a tunnel system, some of which is shared for both emergency stops, they get through a transfer tunnel into the other tunnel tube, which has been closed in the meantime, and can be picked up there by an evacuation train and driven outside. The goal here is: people should be brought out of the tunnel from every point in 90 minutes.

There is also the possibility of reversing trains in a controlled manner in the event of an incident.

Fire protection

An integrated fire alarm system ensures fire detection and management. It is crucial that the entire tunnel is visible from the entrance to the exit. This requires systems that, in addition to video surveillance, provide reliable information about the situation in the tunnel and in front of the tunnel portal. For this purpose, video surveillance technology was combined with radar technology and an automatic incident detection (AID) is used. B. can independently identify smoke development using algorithms.

Preparatory work for additional options

Extension in the north

The “Uri Süd” branch structure was built inside the mountain near Erstfeld for a further CHF 100 million. This prepared a possible later continuation of the tunnel to the north and thus the bypassing of Altdorf in the so-called "mountain long closed" variant. This solution, demanded by the Uri population and government, to protect the Reuss plain from further emissions (noise, vibrations), was commissioned by the Federal Council in June 2002 to plan.

The new tunnel section would be connected in the Flüelen area with the Axentunnel , which is still to be built , which would in fact extend the Gotthard base tunnel to around 75 kilometers. This solution is known as “Uri Berg lang-Axen” (UBLA). Financing and the time frame for these further NEAT sections remain open.

In 2007, voices were raised in the canton of Uri that instead of the Uri mountain variant, they now prefer a valley variant in order not to obstruct the possibility of connecting the canton to high-speed traffic, as would be the case with a tunnel bypass. The Altdorf station is to be expanded for long-distance traffic and to become the Uri cantonal station.

Porta Alpina

Around 800 m below the Graubünden village of Sedrun is one of the two multifunctional points that u. a. will serve as an emergency stop. Since 2000, the idea of ​​expanding the Sedrun multifunctional station into an underground train station was launched under the name Porta Alpina . This would give the Surselva region a quick connection to the major centers of Basel, Zurich and Milan, which would give it a very strong economic boost. It was planned to expand both tunnels by excavating four large waiting rooms (two in each direction, for 240 people each) and converting the lift system that was built for the construction to carry 80 passengers each.

If the implementation could take place during the construction of the tunnel, costs of around 50 million Swiss francs were estimated, which the federal government , the canton of Graubünden, the Surselva region and the municipality of Tujetsch fought over. Since the tunnel boring equipment was to be dismantled in 2006, 15 million Swiss francs were initially approved for the shell construction of the waiting shelters, which took place quickly and was completed in March 2007. However, the progress of the project was stopped in May 2007 when the Federal Council postponed the decision to make the main investment in Porta Alpina until 2012. This made completion together with the base tunnel in 2016 impossible. At the time, it was disputed whether an intermediate stop at Porta Alpina would impair freight and passenger traffic.

A later completion is associated with higher costs, which in September 2007 led to the canton, region and municipality refusing to continue the project with reference to the cost risk and the lack of interest on the part of SBB . With the completion of the excavation of the waiting halls, later generations could possibly realize the project, explained the Graubünden government councilor at the time, Stefan Engler .

At least 20 liters of water per second are fed through the shaft in order to convey the required five liters of water per second in both directions in the sewage pipes of both pipes. This is intended to include escaping dangerous goods. A small hydropower plant at the base of the pipeline generates around 1.1 gigawatt hours of electricity per year using the draining water.

Tunnel boring machines (TBM)

Model of the TBM S-210

The machines each consist of a tunnel boring machine (TBM) and a trailer.

Facts and figures:

  • Number: 4 (2 × 2)
  • Length: 440 m (including trailer)
  • Weight: 2700 t (only TBM)
  • Diameter: 9.58 m
  • Number of engines: 10
  • Number of roller tools: 62
  • Total output: 3500 kW
  • Energy consumption: max. 63 MWh of electricity worth ~ CHF 10,000 per day per TBM, corresponds to the daily consumption of 4,200 single-family homes
  • Propulsion performance: max. 35–40 m / day (depending on the type and quality of rock, is hardly ever reached)
  • Manufacturer: Herrenknecht , D-Schwanau (TVM), Rowa Tunneling Logistics AG, Wangen SZ (trailer)
  • Names of the machines: Gabi I (east tube (S-229)) and Gabi II (west tube (S-230)) come from the north. Heidi (east tube (S-211)) and Sissi (west tube (S-210), breakthrough on October 15, 2010) come from the south. The drill head of the TBM Sissi is exhibited in the Verkehrshaus in Lucerne.

Construction site tourism

Visitor center in Pollegio

Construction site tourism developed in the area of ​​the Amsteg, Sedrun, Faido and Bodio construction sites. Initially, only guided tours - deep into the mountain - were offered, later, due to the great need, information centers were set up and built in Pollegio near Bodio, in Sedrun (closed since November 1, 2014) and in Erstfeld visitor centers. To open days on each major construction sites each traveled several thousand visitors. The total number of all visitors now amounts to several 100,000, and the tours are booked out well in advance. For the local communities, this tourism is an important economic factor, as in addition to external assembly workers and company representatives, other people come to these peripheral regions and provide additional overnight stays and restaurant sales. The municipalities benefit indirectly from the sales of visitors and miners and directly from the withholding taxes paid by foreign miners.

Installation

From mid-December 2013 to mid-June 2014, the first phase of test operation took place on the 13.4 km long section between the south portal and Faido, during which the speed of test trains was gradually increased from 100 to 220 km / h. On October 31, 2014, the last piece of slab track of the LVT / Sonneville system was installed.

So-called overall integration tests were carried out from August 17 to September 30, 2015 , in which the interaction of the tunnel technology is to be tested. Test operations began on October 1, 2015 and should last until May 27, 2016. In November and December 2015, high-speed trips took place . The ICE S reached the speed of 275 km / h required for approval for the first time on November 8, 2015. On November 25th and 26th there was an event operation with eight trains at the same time.

The inauguration date was announced on December 16, 2013: The tunnel is due to open on December 4th / 5th. June 2016 will be opened with a festival for the population. On June 1, 2015, the opening date of June 1, 2016 was announced. A trial run then took place until the 2016 timetable change, as also happened when the Lötschberg base tunnel was commissioned. Regular operation, with up to two passenger and five freight trains per hour and direction, began as planned with the timetable change on December 11, 2016.

Covered light signals in Flüelen station on the northern Gotthard access route, after the ETCS commissioning, at the end of August 2015

On August 16, 2015, the train protection system ETCS Level 2 was put into operation during a nine-hour lockout on the 19 km long section of the route connecting to the north of the tunnel between Brunnen and Erstfeld. The permissible speed was initially reduced to 80 km / h. On December 6, 2015, the Castione – Arbedo – Bodio section followed, one month late.

On the Gotthard Railway , driver's cab signaling with ETCS Level 2 according to SRS 2.3.0d was used for the first time in Switzerland . After frequent disruptions occurred on both sections of the route during commissioning, the situation had eased by spring 2016 and the same level of reliability had been achieved as before. Still existing ETCS problems on individual vehicle types would be eliminated in cooperation with the vehicle manufacturers. Among other things, additional balises were relocated, the programming of the ETCS control center was adapted and outside signals were removed to make it easier for trains to turn. On the vehicle side, upgrading the software version (from SRS 2.2.2+ to 2.3.0d) caused problems on some vehicle series. Individual series could not yet be converted due to a lack of capacities at the manufacturer of the ETCS on-board devices. For this purpose, the SBB applied for a temporary exemption to operate under SRS 2.2.2+.

On February 6, 2016, a 1,500 m long and 2,216 t heavy freight train with three locomotives was driven through the tunnel. A rescue drill took place on February 27, 2016. The evacuation of an ICN train with 401 passengers , which came to a standstill eight kilometers north of the south portal, was tested using a train provided in the parallel tube. The opening ceremony took place on June 1, 2016; from August to November 2016, “stress tests” with passenger trains took place.

During this time, sightseeing trains also ran in both directions between Flüelen and Biasca with a stop of just under an hour at the Sedrun multifunctional stop, where an exhibition on the history of the Gotthard Railway was set up in a side tunnel.

Regular train operations began as planned on December 11, 2016. There were more than 600 known defects in the structure. Some resulted in operational restrictions and requirements for the operating license, so that, among other things, the maximum speed in the tunnel is limited to 200 km / h and at the entrance to Rynächt to 160 km / h.

Inauguration party

Gotthard Base Tunnel opening (Bodio)

The tunnel was inaugurated on June 1, 2016 with a ceremony and on June 4 and 5, respectively, with a folk festival on both the north and south portal. At the north portal there was a special stop just for this day: Rynächt fairground. The 1000 seats for the first official train ride through the tunnel on that day were raffled as symbolic thanks among the Swiss population.

Around 1,100 guests were invited, including the entire Federal Council, Parliament and numerous European politicians, including the German Chancellor Angela Merkel , the French President François Hollande , the Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi and the Austrian Chancellor Christian Kern .

The tunnel was inaugurated in the extensive ceremony staged by Volker Hesse , including a parallel theatrical performance on the north and south portal with 300 performers each, a Patrouille Suisse show , and international live television broadcasts. The route was handed over by the federal government to SBB in the presence of the MPs and presidents and ministers from the neighboring countries. According to the Federal Council's plans, the celebrations cost 8 million francs, including the deployment of up to 2000 police and army personnel to secure and organize the celebrations (3 million).

For the following weekend of June 4th and 5th, 50,000 to 100,000 seats were also offered on trains that commute every 20 minutes and an extensive supporting program.

business

In the first eight months of operation, 2.3 million passengers were carried. The number of passengers had risen by 30 percent to 10,400 travelers per day. The number of transit freight trains increased by 6 percent over the same period. A total of around 17,000 freight trains drove through the tunnel, with an average weight of 1080 t and a length of 434 m. With 80 freight trains per day, the tunnel's capacity of around 170 daily freight trains is about half used.

Trains with fine bulk goods have not been allowed to enter the tunnel since June 9, 2017 due to the development of dust.

In the first year of operation, which ended on December 9, 2017, a total of 24,757 freight and 18,395 passenger trains drove through the tunnel. At the peak, 165 trips per day were counted. An average of 11,000 passengers were transported per day in passenger transport. Up to 116 trains per day were counted in freight traffic, from five different railway companies (mostly SBB Cargo). 0.1 percent of the planned trains had to be diverted over the mountain route.

After 18 months, a total of almost 39,922 freight trains and around 28,689 passenger trains had passed through the tunnel. On an average working day, 170 trains are counted, 120 of which are freight trains (as of 2018). The hydraulically driven switches and ETCS have proven to be relatively susceptible to failure. In 2018, 0.19% of trains caused a malfunction related to ETCS, in 2019 0.14%.

On March 5, 2019, the 100,000. Counted train through the tunnel. With a few exceptions, all trains could have run regularly through the tunnel; in some cases diversions were necessary, in individual cases towing. At this time, between 130 and 160 trains per day were counted on working days, around two thirds of which were freight trains and around one third were passenger trains.

The Gotthard Base Tunnel project was awarded the European Railway Award 2018.

Around 5,000 visitors took advantage of the offer to visit the tunnel (including a window to the driving tunnel) as part of a two-hour tour.

Railway technology

Cable work at the multifunctional station Faido (2014)

A slab track from the LVT / Sonneville system with over 228 km of rails (each 120 meters long), 43 switches and 375,000 support points was installed in the tunnel. A new process with self-compacting concrete was used in the production of the LVT concrete blocks . In addition, high-precision models were used for geometric accuracy. The higher level of automation in production made it possible to achieve consistently high quality. These measures enable a 1: 1 exchange of the support points in the event of mechanical damage. Due to the expected extraordinary loads on the track components in the GBT, in addition to the high temperature and humidity, the expected route load is also included, these were subjected to extensive tests before installation, with durability and longevity in the foreground. The tests were carried out by the Testing Office for Transportation Infrastructures in Munich and included load cycle tests at the expected ambient temperature with more than ten million load cycles. It could be shown that the requirements of the ATG are met.

There are special requirements for the overhead line . For the first time in Europe, freight trains and high-speed trains are to run at 250 km / h in long single-track tunnels in mixed traffic in the Gotthard and Ceneri Base Tunnels, which leads to a power requirement of up to 2300 A. Other challenges include the small tunnel cross-section, high mechanical loads from dynamic pressures , high internal tunnel temperatures of up to 40 degrees and around 70 percent humidity, as well as salty air brought in by trucks on the rolling road .

For this purpose, an overhead contact line type R250 GBT with a chain system (support cable bronze and contact wire copper) and four parallel reinforcement lines were planned. It was tested on a test section in the Valais between Charrat and Saxon . The contact line system, with a contact wire height of 5.20 m and a system height of 90 cm, consists of a 120 mm² contact wire, a 70 mm² support cable , four 95 mm² feed lines and three earth cables of 150 mm² each. The longitudinal spans are between 23 and 48 m. A total of 154 km of catenary are installed, 115 km of which in the tunnel and 39 km on the open road.

The traction power supply takes place with feeds in Flüelen, Amsteg, Faido and Pollegio. Power plants, substations and lines are being built or expanded for the tunnel. For regular operation, the traction power supply will be able to provide 80 MW in scheduled operation, the highest load, up to 160 MW, is expected from freight train operations every three minutes after operational disruptions. Initially, freight trains with a trailer load of up to 4,000 t were used as the basis for the dimensioning of the systems, but in 2009, for reasons of high costs and expected low demand from very heavy freight trains, the decision was made to generally only use freight trains weighing a maximum of 2,000 t. This saved more than 100 million Swiss francs.

Emergency power system (no-break system) in the multifunctional station Faido

Furthermore, 3731 km of cables for power supply and data transmission are to be laid. No optical signals have been installed. The standardized European Rail Traffic Management System ( ERTMS ) / European Train Control System (ETCS) with the train radio system GSM-R provides train protection . The information and driving instructions are sent wirelessly to the driver's cab. Four signal boxes , 928 balises , 712 axle counters and 426 main signal bulletin boards are planned.

The Gotthard automatic tunnel control system (TAG) is based on the standard Iltis railway control system . It has double redundancy with two network connections each and is connected to 18 surrounding systems, for example ventilation, lighting and the doors of the emergency stop points. Several thousand telegrams with a volume of several hundred megabytes are exchanged per train. The system monitors the entire system, compares target and actual conditions and monitors compliance with the minimum speed specified for the trains. It ensures special restrictions in normal operation, for example an increased distance between dangerous goods and passenger trains. In the event of an incident, it handles up to ten immediate measures to minimize the extent of the damage, presents further options and automatically implements the bundle of measures selected by the operator to control the event (e.g. reverse evacuation). Trains should generally travel at maximum speed in the tunnel and only choose a lower speed if this has been ordered by the dispatching level. The minimum speed of the freight trains is usually 100 km / h. The traffic in the tunnel is controlled from the operations center south in Pollegio.

Faido emergency stop with high-speed switch (right) and platform (left) (2014)

The scope and requirements of the rail technology services were announced in 2005. The contract with a volume of 1.69 billion Swiss francs was placed on May 4, 2007 by the Transtec Gotthard consortium. It is composed of four equal partners:

The order comprises the equipping of the two single-lane tunnel tubes, each 57 km in length, as well as the subsequent open stretches north and south of around 11 km in length up to the connection to the existing railway network. The contractors share the construction of the roadway, power supply with 50 Hz, cable systems, traction power supply with 16.7 Hz, telecommunications (landline and radio) and the security systems.

As with the Erstfeld section , the unsuccessful bidding consortium lodged an appeal with the Federal Administrative Court . In November 2007, the latter decided against a suspensive effect of the objection, whereupon the client and the provider (“Swiss Railway Technology Consortium”) agreed to waive the right to claim compensation. After the cost of the delay had been put at 10 million francs per month, there was political discussion about ruling out the suspensive effect of an appeal against award decisions by law.

For the installation of the railway technology, a 7-hectare installation site with 230 accommodations was built south of Biasca at the end of the South Open Line . Installation in the tunnel via the south portal began in May 2010. Installation via the north portal in Erstfeld started in September 2011. For this purpose, an installation site was set up in 2010 in Rynächt between Altdorf and Schattdorf . At peak times, more than 700 people should be busy installing the railway technology. The installation of the railway technology was completed in 2015.

Operating concept

Junction system after commissioning of the Gotthard and Ceneri Base Tunnels in 2020
yellow: full junction (00 '/ 30')
orange: full junction (15 '/ 45')

The basis of the planning is a mixed operation with passenger trains (normal operation: 200 km / h, but 250 km / h possible) and heavy freight trains (at least 100, up to 160 km / h, up to 2000 or possibly 4000 tons). Around 300 trains a day are to pass through the tunnel and run between Zurich or Basel and Chiasso - Milan or Luino - Busto Arsizio / Novara . The aim was for the high-speed trains to cover the Zurich – Milan route in a travel time of 2:40 hours. Since the travel time between Zurich and Lugano will only take 82 minutes after the opening of the Ceneri base tunnel (as of 2010), it will be possible to develop Lugano into a full hub .

The operating concept provides for an Intercity to drive through the tunnel at 200 km / h followed by three freight trains at 100 km / h within an hour, followed by an IC and three other freight trains. In order to cover the 60 km without overhauling, an operational headway time of the freight trains of 3 minutes and a technical headway time of 2.5 minutes are required. For this purpose, up to 100 m short signal sections were created in the area of ​​the portals and the passing tracks.

The SBB began passenger transport in 2016 with ETR 610 trains , which are to be replaced by the newly developed Stadler EC250 in 2019 . After the commissioning of the Ceneri Base Tunnel, which is planned for 2020, 180 to 260 freight trains and 65 passenger trains per day will pass through the Gotthard Base Tunnel. A maximum of 180 should remain on the mountain route per day. Half-hourly express trains are expected to increase the number of passengers on the Gotthard axis from the current 9,000 (as of 2014) to at least 15,000 in 2020. At the same time, an hourly cycle should be maintained over the mountain route. In addition, up to six freight trains and two passenger trains per hour and direction are planned through the tunnel. According to the timetable concept published by SBB in 2013, travel times between Lucerne and Ticino will be reduced by 40 minutes from 2016 and by 60 minutes compared to 2013 after the Ceneri base tunnel goes into operation . The travel time from Zurich to Lugano will then be 1:40 hours.

For reasons of capacity and energy savings, passenger trains should run in the tunnel at a maximum speed of 200 km / h.

Freight trains up to 750 meters long are to run through the tunnel at short intervals of up to three minutes. In the future, 40 million tons of goods per year will roll through the tunnel, about twice as much as on the previous Gotthard axis.

Critics criticize the plans for the lack of structural consideration of foreseeable traffic needs. While in 1992 a passenger train with 250 km / h and several freight trains were planned through the tunnel per hour and direction, passenger traffic can now be expected to run every half hour. In order to accommodate six freight trains per hour at 100 km / h, passenger traffic must be limited to one IC Zurich – Milan route (200 km / h) and one IR Zurich – Lugano route. Additional traffic is only possible with changed maximum speeds. In the end of the construction phase, the connection of a later retrofittable overtaking station (for example in the middle of the tunnel) should be prepared in the form of nozzles.

In May 2013, the Swiss Federal Council approved a draft for the implementation of the so-called four-meter corridor for the rolling road on the axis Basel - Gotthard - Ticino - Northern Italy - because of the corner height of loaded trucks . A total of 170 individual measures are to be implemented for 940 million francs so that from 2020 semitrailers with a corner height of four meters can be transported without restrictions.

For maintenance, one of the two tubes is blocked for six hours (Monday to Tuesday) or eight hours (Saturday to Sunday, Sunday to Monday). From 2019 only the two eight-hour closures are planned to create additional capacity for freight traffic. The trains scheduled for maintenance should enter the tunnel as a unit, dissolve there and ultimately leave it again together. SBB is purchasing 31 maintenance vehicles for CHF 93.7 million. A budget of CHF 30 million has been budgeted for regular maintenance. For larger work, such as changing rails, a third of a tube should be closed on weekends with little traffic.

In relation to 2020, the SBB expect a decrease in energy consumption on the Gotthard axis by at least 10 percent. While energy consumption for freight transport is expected to decrease by 33 percent, in passenger transport - due to higher speeds (200 to a maximum of 250 km / h) - an additional consumption of 20 percent is expected. In freight transport, compared to mountain routes, there is no need for mechanical braking, among other things, and thus more energy can be recovered through motor brakes. The maximum speed allowed for freight trains is 110 km / h.

Safety evidence is still pending for a planned increase to 250 km / h (status: 2018).

Control, operations center south

Operations center south in Pollegio (2018)

Since mid-2014, SBB has been controlling and monitoring all rail operations in Ticino and from and to Arth-Goldau from the operations center south (BZ Süd) in Pollegio .

Passenger information in the event of disruptions is also provided by the operations center south. The around 160 employees in Pollegio also control and monitor the operation of passenger and freight traffic as well as the safety systems and the traction current supply in the longest railway tunnel in the world.

costs

In July 2006, AlpTransit put the expected total costs at CHF 8.035 billion. Compared to the 1998 budget, this would correspond to additional costs of 21.3 percent. The reasons for the cost increases are geology (4.5 percent), delays and changed requirements on the part of politics (6.3 percent), project improvements for the population and the environment (1.3 percent) as well as increased demands on railway and safety technology (8, 5 percent).

A profitability study in 2010 commissioned by the Federal Office of Transport calculated that the Gotthard axis would generate an economic profit of 4 million francs per year for infrastructure operations, excluding replacement investments, and a profit of 71 million francs per year for passenger transport. Only the additional costs and additional revenues incurred within Switzerland that can be associated with the NEAT are considered. If the replacement investments are included, the infrastructure bill results in a loss of 53 million francs per year. The cost-benefit analysis shows a profit of 76 million francs excluding replacement investments and 18 million francs including replacement investments.

The construction costs were estimated at CHF 12 billion in 2010. In 2016, the final costs were CHF 12.2 billion.

Awards

  • The German Project Excellence Award of the GPM 2015 went to the engineers for the project management of the slab track.
  • The European Railway Award is an award that has been presented since 2007 by the Community of European Railways , UNIFE and the European Rail Infrastructure Managers (EIM). In 2018, the tunnel was honored for the improvement of freight traffic in Europe.

Trivia

Swiss Post dedicated a block of special stamps with special effects to the opening of the new base tunnel in 2016. Around 15 kilos of rock powder from the Gotthard were used. The rock was processed into a fine powder and, thanks to a special printing technique with special varnish, found space in this form on the 104 mm × 37 mm large “Gottardo 2016” block for two francs. The postage stamps with a bridge show a relief of the Gotthard massif with an Alpine panorama as well as the south and north portal. At both "ends" there is a locomotive next to the value indication, once in the colder north a Re 484 with the color blue, lettering Cargo, Erstfeld, and in the rather warmer south a Re 460 with the color red and the subtitles Bodio.

See also

literature

  • Alp Transit Gotthard AG: The construction of the century is being built: Gotthard Base Tunnel - the longest tunnel in the world. Stämpfli, Bern 2010, ISBN 978-3-7272-1211-6 (Italian edition under the title: L 'opera del secolo diventa realtà, 2011, ISBN 978-3-7272-1211-3 ).
  • Raffaella Castagnola et al. a., Markus Bühler-Rasom (photos): 57 people, 57 stories: Gotthard Base Tunnel , a structure of the century , AS Verlag, Zurich 2016, ISBN 978-3-906055-50-3 .
  • Rolf E. Jeker: Gotthard Base Tunnel. The longest tunnel in the world. Werd Verlag, Zurich 2002, ISBN 3-85932-420-9 ; 2nd, revised edition: The future begins , Stämpfli , Bern 2013, ISBN 978-3-7272-1238-3 .
  • Lukas Vogel u. a .: The direct route to the south: the history of the Gotthard Railway , published by ViaStoria, Center for Transport History , and Kilian T. Elsasser, photos from SBB Historic… AS, Zurich 2007, ISBN 978-3-909111-42-8 ( Table of contents ); Italian edition: La diretta via verso il sud: Sztoria della ferrovia del Gottard , edited by ViaStoria and T. Kilian Elsasser, ISBN 978-3-909111-43-5 .

Web links

Commons : Gotthard Base Tunnel  - album with pictures, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c d e Project key figures for the shell of the Gotthard Base Tunnel. (PDF) ATG media office, AlpTransit Gotthard AG, June 1, 2016, accessed on December 15, 2016 .
  2. ↑ Chronology of a project of the century Milestones in construction history up to 2015. (PDF) AlpTransit Gotthard Ltd, June 1, 2015, archived from the original on March 4, 2016 ; accessed on February 28, 2016 .
  3. ↑ Status of work (railway technology) ( Memento from October 8, 2015 in the web archive archive.today )
  4. ↑ a b c Arthur Rutishauser: 350 million additional costs at the Neat south portal . In: Tages-Anzeiger , September 29, 2010.
  5. ↑ a b B. Hager: From the commissioning of the Gotthard base tunnel to the complete flat runway. SBB CFF FFS Cargo, August 16, 2016, accessed on December 15, 2016 .
  6. ↑ a b c d Swiss Federal Railways (Ed.): Scheduled operation from December 11, 2016: SBB on course for the commissioning of the new Gotthard tunnel. ( Memento of March 4, 2016 in the Internet Archive ). Media release of December 11, 2014, accessed on February 26, 2015
  7. ↑ Gotthard mountain route ( Memento from June 8, 2016 in the Internet Archive )
  8. ^ Opening of the Gotthard Base Tunnel. In: admin.ch . Federal Chancellery , December 8, 2016, accessed December 10, 2016 .
  9. ↑ a b c d e f g h i j k Renzo Simoni: The longest railway tunnel in the world . In: The Railway Engineer . tape 65 , no. 5 , 2016, ISSN  0013-2810 , p. 18-20 . (To plan the trial run)
    and Karin Moser, Stefanie Hasler: A trip without a view. With video. NZZ from December 11, 2016 and regular operation started: You too can now drive through the Gotthard tunnel. (The first scheduled train rolled through the Gotthard tunnel. The way to Italy is shortened by half an hour. ... The Gotthard base tunnel has been in regular operation since 6.09 am on Sunday morning. In: spiegel.de/reise/ from 11. December 2016)
  10. ^ A b Bruno Arnold: The operation of the base tunnel is stable and safe. In: luzernerzeitung.ch. March 5, 2019, accessed April 13, 2019 .
  11. ↑ Pleasing progress with the construction of the NEAT on the Gotthard axis - NAD is pushing for the Lötschberg baseline project to be completed quickly. The Federal Assembly - The Swiss Parliament, November 26, 2008, accessed on November 22, 2012 (NAD press release).
  12. ↑ a b AlpTransit Gotthard AG (Ed.): A construction of the century is being built . 1st edition. Bern 2010, Stämpfli Verlag AG, ISBN 978-3-7272-1211-6 , p. 31 f, 244.
  13. ↑ Deborah Stoffel: Fine tuning up to the opening . In: Neue Luzerner Zeitung . October 17, 2015, p. 5 .
  14. ↑ Eduard Gruner: Journey through the Gotthard Base Tunnel. In: Prism . tape 2 , no. 4 , August 1947, p. 99-104 ( alptransit-portal.ch [PDF]).
  15. ↑ a b c d e Rudi Weidmann: 46 years of Neat: The story of a collective planning . In: The direct route to the south: The history of the Gotthard Railway . AS-Verlag, Zurich 2007, ISBN 978-3-909111-42-8 , pp. 186–207.
  16. ↑ a b c Hans Rudolf Isliker: Lötschberg Base Tunnel: The first step towards the NEAT . In: NEAT - AlpTransit Lötschberg and Gotthard (=  ETR Swiss ). No. 5 , 2016, ISBN 978-3-87154-574-0 , ISSN  0013-2845 , pp. 14-18 .
  17. ↑ Special drilling for the Gotthard base tunnel . In: Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung . No. 179 , August 5, 1965, ISSN  0174-4909 , p. 8 .
  18. ↑ Two new rail tunnels through the Alps . In: Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung , May 12, 1989, p. 11.
  19. ^ Hans Rudolf Isliker : A turbulent project start . In: NEAT - AlpTransit Lötschberg and Gotthard (=  ETR Swiss ). No. 5 , 2016, ISBN 978-3-87154-574-0 , ISSN  0013-2845 , pp. 8 .
  20. ^ Annual review 1988 of the other railways . In: The Federal Railroad . Vol. 65, No. 2, 1989, ISSN  0007-5876 , p. 160.
  21. ↑ a b c d e Message Decision for Gotthard and Lötschberg Base Tunnels . In: Die Bundesbahn , year 65 (1989), issue 7, ISSN  0007-5876 , p. 590.
  22. ↑ Switzerland. Federal Council: Dispatch dated May 23, 1990 on the construction of the Swiss rail link through the Alps (Alpine transit decision) . Bundesblatt, Bern 1990, pp. 1075–1209. Appendix 5: Evaluation of the routing variants - main results of the suitability test (PDF; 1.3 MB), pp. 1179–1197.
  23. ↑ Start of construction on the Gotthard Base Tunnel . In: Eisenbahn-Revue International , Issue 4, 1999, ISSN  1421-2811 , pp. 144-147.
  24. ↑ Gotthard Base Tunnel: The advance has been completed. March 23, 2011, archived from the original on March 24, 2011 ; Retrieved April 1, 2011 .
  25. ↑ Allan Seccombe: Shaft Sinkers shakes off sinking feeling , March 19, 2015 in Business Day BDlive
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  29. ↑ Gotthard Base Tunnel is scheduled to go into operation in 2016. AlpTransit Gotthard AG, archived from the original on July 29, 2014 ; Retrieved November 22, 2012 .
  30. ↑ The new Gotthard Railway. AlpTransit Gotthard AG, archived from the original on October 17, 2011 ; Retrieved June 11, 2011 .
  31. ^ Breakthrough of the west tunnel between Erstfeld and Amsteg. AlpTransit Gotthard AG, archived from the original on July 29, 2014 ; Retrieved October 17, 2010 .
  32. ↑ Gotthard Base Tunnel: breakthrough in the west tunnel between Sedrun and Amsteg. AlpTransit Gotthard AG, October 17, 2007, accessed on October 17, 2010 (press release).
  33. ↑ Milestone in the Gotthard Base Tunnel - First breakthrough by a tunnel boring machine. Press release, September 6, 2006.
  34. ↑ Consorzio TAT: A resounding success at the Gotthard Base Tunnel. (PDF; 86 kB) AlpTransit Gotthard AG, September 6, 2006, archived from the original on June 7, 2008 ; Retrieved November 22, 2012 (press release).
  35. ↑ The construction of the century is being built (=  Gotthard Base Tunnel - the longest tunnel in the world . Volume 2 ). 1st edition. Stämpfli, Bern 2010, ISBN 978-3-7272-1211-6 , p. 8 f .
  36. ↑ a b c d e f g h i Gieri Venzin: Death in the mountain - The victims of the Gotthard. In: SRF-DOK. SRF, May 30, 2016, accessed June 1, 2016 .
  37. ↑ Puzzle in the rock. Allianz Suisse, April 15, 2013, accessed November 1, 2014 .
  38. ↑ a b c d e f Matthias Chapman: The dead from Gotthard. In: Tages-Anzeiger (CH). Tamedia AG, October 12, 2010, accessed on May 31, 2016 .
  39. ↑ Michael Soukup: The dead workers from Gotthard. In: Tages Anzeiger (CH). Tamedia AG, May 18, 2016, accessed on May 31, 2016 .
  40. ↑ Security goals
  41. ↑ Technical article on fire protection in the Gotthard Base Tunnel ; FeuerTRUTZ magazine, special 2016, author: Jürgen Poslovski
  42. ↑ Federal Office of Transport: Sectoral Transport Plan, Part Infrastructure Rail November 2015, Section OB 10.2. (PDF (1.71 MB)) BAV, December 4, 2015, accessed on March 20, 2020 .
  43. ↑ Further clarifications for the Porta Alpina. Federal Department of the Environment, Transport, Energy and Communications, May 16, 2007, accessed on October 17, 2010 (press release by the federal administration).
  44. ↑ Porta Alpina falls asleep into a deep slumber. In: NZZ Online. September 13, 2007, accessed October 17, 2010 .
  45. ↑ Mini hydropower plant at the Gotthard Base Tunnel . In: Eisenbahn-Revue International . No. 10 , 2015, ISSN  1421-2811 , p. 512-513 .
  46. ↑ Successful trial operation in the Gotthard Base Tunnel. Press release. Alp Transit, June 16, 2014, archived from the original on July 25, 2014 ; accessed on November 1, 2014 .
  47. ↑ Gotthard Base Tunnel complete LVT installation . In: Railway Gazette International . tape 171 , no. 1 , 2015, ISSN  0373-5346 , p. 40-43 .
  48. ↑ a b Erich Aschwanden: One year final spurt for Gotthard base tunnel . In: Neue Zürcher Zeitung . June 2, 2015, ISSN  0376-6829 , p. 9 (similar version online ).
  49. ↑ Erich Aschwanden: An emergency stop 800 meters underground. nzz.ch, August 24, 2015, accessed on August 25, 2015
  50. ↑ 275 km / h in the Gotthard Base Tunnel . In: Eisenbahn-Revue International . No. 1 , 2016, ISSN  1421-2811 , p. 33 .
  51. ↑ Soon the first test drives in the Gotthard Base Tunnel . In: Eisenbahn-Revue International . No. 12 , 2013, ISSN  1421-2811 , p. 625 .
  52. ↑ a b Start of trial operation in the Gotthard Base Tunnel . In: Eisenbahn-Revue International . No. 2 , 2014, ISSN  1421-2811 , p. 68 f .
  53. ↑ Gotthard section converted to ETCS Level 2 . In: Eisenbahn-Revue International . No. 10 , 2015, ISSN  1421-2811 , p. 482-486 .
  54. ^ Level 2 on the Gotthard . In: Railway Gazette International . tape 171 , no. 9 , 2015, ISSN  0373-5346 , p. 30 .
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    Christian Schaub: Now online: the theater spectacle for the opening of the Gotthard. Videos (32 min each) and text of them at srf.ch from June 3, 2016
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  83. ↑ Gotthard Base Tunnel: Award of the rail technology work . In: signal + wire . tape 99 , no. 6 , 2007, ISSN  0037-4997 , p. 45, 46 .
  84. ↑ Press release from AlpTransit Gotthard AG of December 7, 2007 ( Memento of November 23, 2007 in the Internet Archive )
  85. ↑ Gotthard Base Tunnel: The installation of the railway technology has started. AlpTransit Gotthard AG, June 25, 2010, accessed on March 10, 2020 .
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  89. ↑ SBB award contract for BeNe trains to Stadtler . In: Eisenbahn-Revue International . No. 6 , 2014, ISSN  1421-2811 , p. 276-280 .
  90. ^ Continued traffic on the Gotthard mountain route . In: Neue Zürcher Zeitung (online edition), January 27, 2012.
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  93. ↑ Swiss celebrate expensive prestige project . In: Handelsblatt . No. 200, 15./16. October 2010, p. 18 f.
  94. ^ A hole for the visions of the future of 1992? . In: Swiss Railway Review , issue 3/2011, p. 148 f.
  95. ↑ The four-meter corridor on the Gotthard is well on its way . In: Eisenbahn-Revue International . No. 7 , July 2013, ISSN  1421-2811 , p. 344 .
  96. ↑ Unrest over the maintenance plan for the Gotthard Base Tunnel . In: Eisenbahn-Revue International . No. 12 , 2013, ISSN  1421-2811 , p. 633 .
  97. ↑ Ecoplan, Infras: feasibility study NEAT 2010 for the attention of the Federal Office of Transport. March 28, 2011, accessed March 10, 2020 .
  98. ^ Gotthard Base Tunnel , DETEC Federal Department for the Environment, Transport, Energy and Communication
  99. ↑ GPM price
  100. ↑ And the winner of the 2018 European Railway Award is ... - European Railway Award. In: europeanrailwayaward.eu. November 14, 2017, accessed November 18, 2017 .
  101. ↑ The magnifying glass 2/2016 , with picture
This version was added to the list of articles worth reading on February 15, 2006 .