Photos: New Swiss Alps tunnel set to transform Europe's rail links

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Photos: New Swiss Alps tunnel set to transform Europe's rail links

Switzerland completes trans-European rail route with Ceneri Tunnel under the Alps

Published: September 05, 2020 15:55 AFP and compiled by Balaram Menon, Senior Web Editor

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Copy of 2020-09-04T104854Z_511251872_RC2MRI916R1W_RTRMADP_3_SWISS-TRANSPORT-CENERI-1599306195494 — A train stands in front of the entrances of the newly built Ceneri Base Tunnel during the opening ceremony near Camorino, Switzerland Image Credit: REUTERS

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Copy of Switzerland_Tunnel_85504.jpg-3e4be-1599306199725 — After opening the Lotschberg Base Tunnel in 2007 and the Gotthard Base Tunnel in 2016, the Ceneri in Switzerland's southern Ticino region is the final stage of the New Railway Link through the Alps project. Image Credit: AP

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Copy of 2020-09-04T102317Z_17025369_RC2MRI9V6AVW_RTRMADP_3_SWISS-TRANSPORT-CENERI-1599306182188 — Swiss President Simonetta Sommaruga officially opened the tunnel in a ceremony marked by alphorns and musicians from German-speaking parts of Switzerland and Italian-speaking Ticino, symbolising the new link between the north and south of the mountainous country. Image Credit: REUTERS

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Copy of 578358-01-02-1599306172323 — Simonetta Sommaruga (centre) cut the ribbon at the northern end as the first freight train passed through, heading south. "This new train line through the Alps is the project of the century for our country," the president told AFP. Image Credit: AFP

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Copy of 2020-09-03T150631Z_404141994_RC23RI9544NP_RTRMADP_3_SWISS-TRANSPORT-CENERI-1599306207818 — The route should ease the flow of goods along a railway freight corridor running from the North Sea at Rotterdam, Europe's largest seaport, to Genoa, Italy's biggest port, on the Mediterranean. Image Credit: REUTERS

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Copy of 578519-01-02-1599306191907 — The tunnel, at 329 metres above sea level, should see 170 freight and 180 passenger trains passing through per day. Image Credit: AFP

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Copy of 2020-09-03T150519Z_1130508024_RC23RI9NQG6M_RTRMADP_3_SWISS-TRANSPORT-CENERI-1599306203779 — It is hoped the link will slash the number of trucks rumbling through the Alps by offering an alternative rail route. Image Credit: REUTERS

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Copy of 2020-09-04T102415Z_871551933_RC2MRI9QS2FZ_RTRMADP_3_SWISS-TRANSPORT-CENERI-1599306185741 — The 15.4-kilometre-long Ceneri tunnel, which fully enters service in December, will also cut travel time for passengers crossing western Europe's greatest mountain range. Image Credit: REUTERS

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Copy of 578672-01-02-1599306169790 — For example, travel times between Zurich and Milan - already significantly shortened by the Gotthard tunnel - will be cut by 40 minutes to just three hours. Image Credit: AFP

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Copy of 578505-01-02-1599306175106 — Transporting freight in Switzerland has long required powerful locomotives to navigate the mountain passes - and also heavy operations to load containers onto trains at the border before crossing the landlocked country. Image Credit: AFP

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Copy of 2020-09-03T161507Z_888695898_RC24RI9LB43V_RTRMADP_3_SWISS-TRANSPORT-CENERI-1599306178387 — "This is the final link that gives us a flat line straight through the Alps," Swiss Federal Railways chief executive Vincent Ducrot (left) told AFP at the tunnel's media launch on Thursday. Image Credit: REUTERS

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Copy of 578546-01-02-1599306167187 — "In the future, we will be able to have freight trains 750 metres long that can carry up to 2,100 tonnes of goods" per convoy, he said, highlighting the environmental benefits. Image Credit: AFP

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Copy of 2020-09-04T103805Z_1657813770_RC2MRI9D8ACT_RTRMADP_3_SWISS-TRANSPORT-CENERI-1599306189275 — By taking the equivalent of 3,000 trucks off the roads and transporting those containers on the new rail route, it should be possible to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 900 tonnes per day, he said. Image Credit: REUTERS

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