Gotthard tunnel under Alps to handle 300 fast trains every day

Gotthard tunnel, the world's longest underground rail passage, equipped with state-of-the-art signalling and train control system will be fully operational from December and handle 300 fast trains every day.
The 57-km long tunnel through the Alps aims at reducing travel time between Zurich and Milan, shifting goods transportation from road to rail and is expected to be used byhundreds of passengers and freight trains every day.
Journey time between Zurich and Milan will be reduced by one hour, from the current four hours to three hours when the Gotthard tunnel opens, Peter Huber, General Manager of Transtec Gotthard, told reporters here.

The tunnel is equipped with European Train Control System (ETCS) technology which enables the train to run at speeds upto 250 km per hour.
Thales, a major player in mainline rail signalling system, has provided the ETCS in the tunnel.
Trial runs are being successfully conducted in the tunnel and it will be handed over to Swiss authorities on June 1 and the full-fledged commercial operation will start from December this year, Huber said.

He said it cost about 10 billion Swiss franc to construct the tunnel which is expected to handle six freight trains and two passenger trains per hour.

Also known as the New Rail Link through the Alps (NRLA), the project consists of two single-track tunnels connecting Erstfeld with Biasca.
"The creation of a fast and efficient high-speed railway network passing through the Alps was never going to be an easy feat. There were many challenges. The work started after elaborate planning way back in 1999 and tunneling was completed in 2010," he said.
Besides the ETCS, it is also equipped withGSM-R digital wireless communication system and the tunnel radio system.
With the operation of the tunnel, it will significantly reduce CO2 emissions as a considerable goods movement will be shifted to rail from the roads.

The tunnel is also equipped with fire alarm system, emergency lamps andvideo cameras among other essential equipment required to meet any emergency situation.