After 10 years of development, the brand new Albula Tunnel was opened as we speak. The quantum leap in railway know-how connects the communities of Grisons Bergün and Bever and replaces the unique tunnel, which is over 100 years outdated – which will likely be transformed into an escape tunnel for emergencies.
The tunnel is new 5864 meters lengthy, and approx 250’000 A cubic meter of fabric erupted from the mountain. The primary trains with as much as 120 are scheduled to reach on Wednesday Kilometers per hour from Preda to Spinas drive by way of the Albula massif. Yearly 1.5 million individuals are transported to the Engadine and again.
The development prices amounted to 407 million francs, which have been absolutely paid by the federal authorities. To match: the predecessor prices extra 7.3 The tens of millions.
The lengthy option to the Albula Tunnel 2
The undertaking started in 2006 when it was famous that roughly 60 % of the tube would have to be repaired within the coming years. Due to this fact, in accordance with Rhaetian Railways (RhB), it was mandatory to interchange the tube.
Legend:
Federal Councilor Rösti (2nd from proper) and different celebrities on the celebration in entrance of the Albula Tunnel.
Keystone/MAYK WENDT
Rhaetian Railways formally opened the brand new 5,860 meter lengthy Albula Tunnel into the Engadine with an enormous celebration on Saturday night. Greater than 300 invited visitors from politics and enterprise attended – together with Federal Councilor Albert Rösti. The spotlight of the opening was a light-weight present within the new railway tunnel.
“The brand new tunnel just isn’t solely a technical masterpiece, but in addition an emblem of the continuation of the traditions and values which have guided Graubünden for hundreds of years,” mentioned Graubünden District President Jon Domenic Parolini.
The Albula Tunnel has been an integral a part of the rail hyperlink to the Higher Engadine, a UNESCO World Heritage route, since 1903.
In 2012, the RhB submitted the file for the planning approval undertaking in Bern, which weighed a complete of 4 tonnes. With a weight of 10 grams per A4 web page, this corresponds to roughly 400,000 pages.
Legend:
The groundbreaking ceremony came about in 2014: Stefan Engler, chairman of the board of administrators of the RhB, Peter Nicolay, mayor of Bergün, and Mario Cavigelli, former mayor of Graubünden, laid the measuring bolt (from left to proper).
RhB/Andy Mettler
With the phrases “dedication to public transport in Graubünden,” the then district president and present president of the RhB Board Mario Cavigelli began the development of the Albula Tunnel 2 in 2014.
Legend:
The general breakthrough was in 2018: after about three years of labor, the miners met contained in the mountain.
Keystone/Gian Ehrenzeller
Throughout development, not all the pieces went as deliberate. The unique schedule was too optimistic and the corona pandemic additional delayed the development work. After a delay of two years, the official opening of the tunnel will happen as we speak, Saturday, within the presence of Federal Councilor Albert Rösti.
Twenty years is a really lengthy and formative interval
Hardly anybody understands the brand new Albula Tunnel in addition to Paul Loser, the undertaking supervisor for this once-in-a-century constructing. He has been engaged on the brand new tube since 2008. Immediately’s opening ceremony makes him very comfortable and relieved that the primary trains will quickly run by way of the tunnel, as he explains within the Graubünden regional journal. “Twenty years is a really lengthy and formative interval, with many experiences and challenges.”
Legend:
Paul Loser has been answerable for the development of the brand new Albula Tunnel for nearly 20 years.
SRF
Though Loser didn’t have to maneuver the middle of his life to the Albula Valley, the tunnel was nonetheless a part of his life nearly day-after-day for the previous 20 years. Though he didn’t develop a private connection to the mountain, he had a deep reference to the various staff who joined him through the years.
Technical progress didn’t cease throughout the development interval, and the undertaking benefited drastically. «Through the enlargement work on {the electrical} programs, we have been in a steady strategy of renewal and growth. This made it attainable to implement numerous enhancements in comparison with the unique development concepts,” says Paul Loser.
When requested if the intensive work on the brand new tunnel surprises you as a lot because the work on the outdated tunnel, Loser says: “The Albula 1 Tunnel is a big legacy and a terrific achievement on the time. .” In gentle of this heritage, they got down to obtain excellent efficiency and “we imagine we succeeded.”
The undertaking just isn’t fully completed for him but. The outdated tunnel will likely be transformed into a security tunnel by 2026.