Passenger traffic partially resumes in Gotthard base tunnel

2023-10-12 00:00:00

Passenger traffic partially resumes in Gotthard base tunnel

After the derailment of sixteen carriages that occurred on August 10 in the Gotthard base tunnel, which seriously damaged the infrastructure, the partial reopening carried out on August 22 has been extended, with some limited circulation of passenger trains.

(11/10/2023)

The damage forced traffic to be diverted along the Gotthard scenic line, which has caused delays in passenger traffic and 30 percent fewer available seats, since not all passenger trains could be routed on that route. Now, the tunnel has been partially opened, with some more passenger train circulations.

Eight kilometers damaged

In addition to damaging eight kilometers of track, the derailment seriously damaged 20,000 concrete sleepers and a detour. Initially, SBB planned to close the tunnel for six days, but then announced that the closure would last several months for passenger trains. In recent days, successful test runs have been carried out in the East gallery, which is where limited passenger services now run.

Cleanup work at the accident site is still continuing, which still requires a lot of time. Most of the cars that derailed are still in the tunnel. In fact, several are so damaged that they will need to be dismantled in situ before being evacuated. At the same time, SBB plans to repair the damaged facilities, which will likely take until the end of the year.

With a length of more than 57 kilometers, the Gotthard Base Tunnel is the longest and deepest railway tunnel in the world, and the first flat, low-grade route through the Alps.