Gotthard: One day to go – the countdown has begun
The last preparations are being made at the Sedrun construction site. There’s less than 24 hours to go until the big event. Everything’s just about ready for this historical moment – after a wait of more than ten years.
There are lots of people getting out at Sedrun station. Many are tourists and to judge by their laptop bags, there are plenty of journalists as well.
Among the happiest are a retired couple from Britain. They have just discovered that their trip to Graubünden will be crowned by the breaking of a world record. On Friday they’ll be following, via live link, the final breakthrough from the centre of the village.
The atmosphere on the construction site is more relaxed. No crowds or stress. Two workers are happily piling their luggage into a car – destination Germany. There’s no work tomorrow.
For Sedrun, the party might have been even better. The Porta Alpina – an underground station in the tunnel – which would have opened Graubünden to the rest of Europe, is destined to remain an unrealised project with delusions of grandeur. In its place is a huge lift which, on Friday, will take me down 800 metres into the heart of the mountain.
Luigi Jorio, Sedrun, October 14, 2010
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