2010.10.15 04:23
Joyous Swiss celebrate longest tunnel breakthrough Trumpets sounded, cheers reverberated and even burly workers wiped away tears as foreman Eduard Baer lifted a statue of Saint Barbara — the patron saint of miners — through a small hole in the enormous drilling machine thousands of feet (meters) underground in central Switzerland. At that moment, a 35.4-mile (57-kilometer) tunnel was born, and the Alpine nation reclaimed the record from Japan's Seikan Tunnel. Television stations across Europe showed the event live. The new Gotthard Base Tunnel is seen as an important milestone in the creation of a high-speed transportation network connecting all corners of Europe. First conceived in 1947 by engineer Eduard Gruner, it will allow millions of tons of goods that are currently transported through the Alps on heavy trucks to be shifted onto the rails, particularly on the economically important link between the Dutch port of Rotterdam and Italy's Mediterranean port of Genoa. The tunnel also aims to reduce the damage that heavy trucks are inflicting on Switzerland's pristine Alpine landscape. Reuters/Christian Hartmann Some 2,500 workers have spent nearly 20 years smashing through the rock beneath the towering Gotthard massif, including the 8,200-foot (2,500-meter) Piz Vatgira (Vatgira Peak). When the $10 billion tunnel opens for rail traffic in 2017, it will replace Japan's 33.5-mile (53.6-kilometer) Seikan Tunnel as the world's longest — excluding aqueducts — and let passenger and cargo trains pass under the Alps at speeds of up to 155 mph (250 kph) on their way from Germany to Italy. Swiss voters, who are paying over $1,300 each to fund the project, approved its construction in a series of referendums almost 20 years ago. European transport ministers watched the breakthrough ceremony live from a meeting in Luxembourg, conscious that Switzerland has set the bar very high for future cross-Alpine rail projects. Two further tunnels — one connecting connect Lyon, France, to Turin in Italy, and the other replacing the Brenner road tunnel between Austria and Italy — are still a long way from completion. Swiss engineers are hoping to complete the rail tunnel even sooner than planned — possibly by the end of 2016 — but its first high-speed trains could be delayed by protests in Germany and Italy, where local opposition to new tracks and budget constraints have become an issue in recent months. The protesters in Stuttgart oppose plans to move the city's station underground, viewing the euro4.1 billion ($5.7 billion) project as a waste of money. Supporters say it will free up the city's packed center and help shorten journeys across Europe. Gotthard Base Tunnel in central Switzerland Miners wave a Swiss national flag, second left, and and flags of several cantons when they celebrate after the drill machine 'Sissi' broke through therock at the final section Faido-Sedrun, at the construction site of the NEAT Gotthard Base Tunnel Friday Oct. 15, 2010. With a length of 57 km (35 miles) crossing the Alps, the world's longest train tunnel should become operational at the end of 2017. When it is opened for traffic in 2017, the Gotthard Base Tunnel will supplant Japan's 33.5-mile (53.6-kilometer) Seikan Tunnel as the world's longest — excluding aqueducts — and allow millions more tons of goods to be transported quickly through the Alps by rail. Father Vigeli (L) and Pastor Nay (R) sanction the proceedings before the drill machine 'Sissi' commences to break through the rock at the finalsection Faido-Sedrun, at the construction site of the NEAT Gotthard Base Tunnel October 15, 2010. Miners watch the drill machine 'Sissi' after broke through the rock at the final section Faido-Sedrun, at the construction site. The tunnel drilling machine 'Sissi' breaks through the last section of the Gotthard Base Tunnel near Sedrun in the canton of Grisons, Switzerland, Oct.15, 2010. This May 29, 2009 photo shows the entrance to the 'Erstfeld' north portal of the Gotthard Base Tunnel (background) and a conveyor belt for the excavatedmaterial (front), near Erstfeld in the canton of Uri, Switzerland. The company in charge of the project says there are only 59 feet (18 meters) left to dig before completing the last section of the new Gotthard Base Tunnel. In this Aug. 27, 2010 workers place reinforcing bars near the bifurcation at the Gotthard Base Tunnel's multifunctional site 'Faido', near Faido in the canton of Ticino, Switzerland. Worker taking break still to be built: This Aug. 27, 2010 photo shows a worker taking a break in the shaft of the gate still to be built at the track change between the two tunnels in the GotthardBase Tunnel's 'Faido' section near Faido in the canton of Ticino, Switzerland. A general view shows the north portal of the NEAT Gotthard Base Tunnel in the Swiss village of Erstfeld October 5, 2010. Visitors stand at the construction site of the NEAT Gotthard Base Tunnel at the Erstfeld-Amsteg section October 5, 2010. A visitor stands at the Erstfeld-Amsteg section of the NEAT Gotthard Base Tunnel October 5, 2010.
|
편한 나라입니다.