The Gotthard Tunnel is a 15-kilometre-long (9.3 mi) railway tunnel that forms the summit of the Gotthard Railway in Switzerland. It connects Göschenen with Airolo and was the first tunnel through the Saint-Gotthard Massif in order to bypass the St Gotthard Pass. It was built as single bore tunnel accommodating a standard gauge double-track railway throughout. When opened in 1882, the Gotthard Tunnel was the longest tunnel in the world.
Inside the tunnel
Workers in Airolo (1880)
Pneumatic locomotive with attached pressure container
Memorial for the dead workers with a relief by Vincenzo Vela
The Gotthard railway is the Swiss trans-alpine railway line from northern Switzerland to the canton of Ticino. The line forms a major part of an important international railway link between northern and southern Europe, especially on the Rotterdam-Basel-Genoa corridor. The Gotthard Railway Company was the former private railway company that financed the construction of and originally operated that line.
Longitudinal profile of Gotthardbahn incl. branchlines
Contemporary drawing showing a construction locomotive
Lower Ticino Bridge during construction phase, with its original single beam truss structure
Opening celebrations at Bellinzona
