The longest tunnel.

Gotthard tunnel (Gotthard Tunnel), the length of which is slightly less than 57 km, and the cost of construction of which has reached € 6, 8 billion, will speed rail link between northern Europe and Italy and received the title of the longest tunnel in the world, which previously belonged to the Japanese Seikan tunnel ( Seikan Tunnel, the length of slightly less than 54 km), reports Daily Telegraph. It is expected that all the works in the new tunnel will be completed by December 2017.





Gotthard Tunnel built by AlpTransit Gotthard AG for 14 years from two sides: from the north side Erstfeld and Bodio in the south of, the city near the border of Switzerland and Italy. At this point, two tunnels share is less than 2 m, which is scheduled to be overcome on Friday this week. As you move the tunnel was recovered 259 thousand. Cubic kilometers of debris, which corresponds to five Pyramids of Cheops.
On average drills extend from 15 to 20 m per day. They are doing a 60% of the work, the rest takes care explosives. The project was given the nickname "underground Babylon" because of their work - two-thirds of the workers came from Austria and Italy, and the rest - from Germany, Turkey, Spain, Portugal, Switzerland and the Balkan countries. Once both sides of the tunnel are attached, there will begin to lay railway tracks, signals and post security. Every 20 km tunnel will be constructed station in case of an emergency stop, where passengers can be evacuated.



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