Alptransit is ready, celebrations for the record tunnel

Nearly everything is ready for the start of celebrations for the inauguration of Alptransit, the world’s longest railway tunnel. The final preparations for the opening ceremony are under way.

A recent note from the company reads, “Alptransit San Gottardo SA is on the home straight; on 1 June, the company is handing over the tunnel to the Swiss Federal Railways to start operating. At the Swiss Federal Railways and the Federal Transport Office, work is proceeding feverishly to obtain authorisation to operate, as the organisations involved declared today during a press conference held at the north entrance of the base tunnel.”

In addition to the Federal Council, state and government heads of the neighbouring countries are expected at the official inauguration of the San Gottardo base tunnel, on 1 June 2016, as well as the Transport Ministers of the countries situated along the Rotterdam-Genoa freight route. Before 1100 guests and 300 media representatives, two trains, one from the north and one from the south, will inaugurate the tunnel. The first people to travel through it will be 1000 representatives of the Swiss population. The official inauguration event will take place both north and south of the tunnel, near the two entrances in Erstfeld/Rynächt and in Pollegio.

 

Next weekend, on 4 and 5 June 2016, four special areas set up near Erstfeld/Rynächt and Pollegio, will host large parties for the people. The visitors will be able to go through the world’s longest railway tunnel, on special trains. The tickets for these trains can be obtained from the assisted points of sale, or at the online ticket shop of the Swiss Federal Railways. In addition to the journeys by train, there will be many other attractions for the visitors.

The maintenance and emergency centres of the Swiss Federal Railways in Erstfeld and Biasca will open their doors. In the pavilions dedicated to mobility of the future, we will be able to see self-driving vehicles, robots and drones. Even the “Gottardo 2016” partners, and the two hosting cantons, Uri and Ticino, will present themselves attractively. On 4 June, large parties in the railway stations of Aarau, Bienne, Bern, Geneva, Winterthur and Zurich will also be organised.