Ten years ago, on June 1, 2016, Switzerland officially opened the Gotthard Base Tunnel, the world’s longest railway tunnel and one of the most ambitious infrastructure projects ever undertaken on the continent.
A decade after its opening, the project is no longer viewed merely as an engineering feat, but as an essential element of European policy aimed at shifting freight traffic from road to rail and strengthening the logistics corridor between the North Sea and the Mediterranean.
With a length of 57 km and a maximum depth of 2,300 meters beneath the Gotthard massif, the tunnel is the centerpiece of the NRLA (Neue Eisenbahn-Alpentransversale / New Railway Link through the Alps), the program through which Switzerland set out to create a nearly flat railway route through the Alps and eliminate one of Europe’s most difficult geographical obstacles.
The project took nearly two decades to complete. Construction began in 1999 and was completed in 2016, after 17 years of work. The final costs reached approximately 12.2 billion Swiss francs (over 13 billion EUR), nearly double the initial estimates from 1998. Funding was provided primarily through the federal FinöV fund, financed by the heavy vehicle tax, a portion of VAT, and fuel taxes.
Behind the project was AlpTransit Gotthard AG, a subsidiary of SBB, created specifically for the development of the new Alpine crossing. After the completion of the works, the company was integrated into SBB Infrastructure in 2023.
A New Geography of European Transport
The tunnel’s importance extends far beyond Switzerland’s borders. The Gotthard represents one of the key links in the Rhine–Alps corridor of the TEN-T network, connecting the ports of Rotterdam and Antwerp to industrial centers in southern Germany, Switzerland, and northern Italy all the way to Genoa.
Before the tunnel opened, rail transport through the Alps was limited by steep gradients, low speeds, and high operating costs. By creating a nearly flat route, the Gotthard Tunnel has enabled the operation of longer, heavier, and more energy-efficient trains.
Today, the infrastructure can accommodate up to 260 freight trains and approximately 65 passenger trains per day, transforming one of Europe’s most challenging mountain crossings into a high-capacity rail corridor.
The benefits were not limited to freight transport. For passengers, travel time between the German-speaking and Italian-speaking regions of Switzerland has been reduced by about an hour, and international connections with Italy have become considerably more attractive.
From world record to technological benchmark
Prior to its commercial opening in December 2016, the tunnel underwent one of the most extensive testing programs ever conducted for a railway infrastructure.
Between October 2015 and May 2016, over 5,000 test runs were conducted, including evacuation drills and accident simulations. Speeds of up to 275 km/h were reached during the tests.
The project’s success was also recognized at the European level. In 2018, the Gotthard Base Tunnel received the European Railway Award, one of the most prestigious honors in the European railway sector, for its contribution to shifting freight traffic from road to rail and for constructing the world’s longest railway tunnel.
The new Giruno (EC250) trains, manufactured by Stadler and developed specifically for international traffic through the Alps and capable of operating under the tunnel’s extreme conditions, were also tested here.
Ten Years of Growth
The results achieved during the first decade of operation confirm the objectives pursued by the Swiss authorities.
From 2016 to the present, approximately 445,000 trains have passed through the tunnel, including 276,000 freight trains and 169,000 passenger trains.
The number of passengers on the Gotthard route has nearly doubled. Currently, over 16,400 passengers use this route daily, in addition to approximately 1,400 passengers on the historic scenic line.
At the same time, freight volumes have increased from 17.8 million net tons in 2015 to 24.2 million net tons in 2025, confirming the success of Switzerland’s strategy to shift freight transport from road to rail.
The accident that tested the system’s resilience
The most difficult moment in the tunnel’s history occurred in August 2023, when a freight train derailed after a wheel broke, causing passenger rail traffic to resume in December 2023, though traffic returned to normal in September 2024.
The accident caused damage estimated at approximately 150 million Swiss francs (160 EUR million) and led to the closure of the western tunnel for nearly a year. However, the incident also demonstrated the importance of maintaining the old Gotthard line, which handled a significant portion of the traffic during the repair work.
Following the accident, SBB introduced additional safety measures, including derailment detectors and stricter inspections for international freight cars.
More than just a tunnel
Ten years after its opening, the Gotthard Base Tunnel represents much more than a world record. It is the symbol of a transport policy that began decades ago and of an investment that continues to generate economic, logistical, and environmental benefits for all of Europe.
At a time when the European Union is seeking to increase the share of rail transport and reduce emissions from road transport, the Gotthard experience demonstrates that major infrastructure projects can fundamentally change traffic flows on a continental scale. After a decade of operation, the tunnel remains one of the strongest arguments in favor of strategic investment in railways.
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