Passengers can breathe a sigh of relief: After months of repairs, trains can once again travel through the Swiss Gotthard Base Tunnel. This means that the journey through the Alps is almost an hour faster. The service is also being expanded.
Since this morning, trains have been running through the Gotthard Base Tunnel as scheduled. This means that one of the most important north-south connections through the Alps is now fully operational again. For rail passengers, this means that it is almost an hour quicker to travel from Zurich to Lugano – and therefore also from Germany to Italy.
Swiss Transport Minister Albert Rösti spoke of a “day of joy” at the reopening. “Today is a good day for Switzerland, for Ticino, for the canton of Uri, but also for the entire continent,” he explained. “Since this morning, both tubes of the Gotthard Base Tunnel have been fully open for rail traffic again.”
In the world’s longest railway tunnel (57 kilometers), trains now run even more frequently than before, namely every half hour, which is normal in Switzerland.
Recovery of the wagons took months
On August 10, 2023, a freight train derailed in the Gotthard Base Tunnel and severely damaged the tunnels. The recovery of the wagons alone took months – the repairs to the tunnel and tracks were difficult. At the reopening of the route, Transport Minister Rösti praised the “excellent work” of the Swiss experts.
As announced, the work was carried out on time, meaning that the tunnel will be open again at the beginning of September. “This really deserves great recognition and also shows the Swiss ability to maintain their infrastructure,” said Rösti.
Wheel disc fracture as cause
Investigations had determined that the cause of the serious freight train accident was a broken wheel disc. This in turn was due to fatigue cracks in the metal. Since freight trains from all over Europe roll through the Gotthard Base Tunnel, Switzerland has since implemented stricter controls across Europe, stressed the head of the Swiss Federal Railways, Vincent Ducrot.
“These wheels will now be officially monitored. This means we no longer risk this problem with this type of car.” All countries will adopt this. These are the rules of the game for how the rail system works in Europe, says Ducrot.
Minister of Transport sees Germany as having a duty
The complete reopening of the Gotthard Base Tunnel will strengthen the rail transport axis between the North Sea and the Mediterranean, said the European Commission in Brussels.
However, the Swiss Transport Minister also stressed that the entire north-south axis still requires improvements, particularly in Italy and Germany. In Germany, there is a will to make improvements here, said Rösti. But that takes time.
Kathrin Hondl, ARD Geneva, tagesschau, 02.09.2024 14:31