First trains pass through repaired Gotthard Base Tunnel
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First trains pass through repaired Gotthard Base Tunnel
Trains have successfully passed through the Gotthard Base Tunnel in a trial. The rail tunnel was seriously damaged by a derailed freight train a year ago.
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A train travelled from Chiasso, canton Ticino, to Basel, in northwestern Switzerland, Swiss Federal Railways (SBB/CFF) reported on Monday. A freight train then travelled through the Gotthard tunnel from Ludwigshafen in Germany to Gallarate in Italy
The trial follows a series of measurements and tests last week. Additional trials will take place to clean the tracks before it is fully operational from September.
+ Read more: why is the Gotthard Base Tunnel so important?
SBB/CFF says that InterCity, EuroCity and freight trains between German-speaking Switzerland and Ticino should be able to use the Gotthard Base Tunnel from September 2.
Since the derailment of a freight train in the Gotthard Base Tunnel on August 10, 2023, the Federal Railways has been working as fast as possible to complete repairs. No one was injured in the derailment, caused by a broken wheel, but the damage was considerable.
Switzerland’s Gotthard Base TunnelExternal link is the world’s longest (and deepest) railway tunnel. Opened in 2016 after 17 years of construction, it consists of two 57.1km single-track tunnels for freight trains and passenger trains connecting Erstfeld in canton Uri with Bodio in canton Ticino.
Translated from German by DeepL/sb
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