Construction
AlpTransit Gotthard AG is responsible for construction. It is a wholly owned subsidiary of the Swiss Federal Railways (SBB-CFF-FFS).
To cut construction time in half, four access tunnels were built so that construction could start at four (a fifth was added later) different sites simultaneously (Erstfeld, Amsteg, Sedrun, Faido and Bodio).
The two tunnels are joined approximately every 325 m (1,066 ft) by connecting galleries.
Trains can swap tunnels in the two multifunction stations (MFS) at Sedrun and Faido.
These stations will house ventilation equipment and technical infrastructure and will serve as emergency stops and evacuation routes upon tunnel completion.
Access to the Sedrun station site is by a level access tunnel 1 km (0.6 mi) long from the valley floor near Sedrun, at the end of which two vertical shafts lead 800 m (2,625 ft) down to the base tunnel level.
A proposal to construct a functioning railway station called Porta Alpina at this site was ruled out because of the small population served and the reduction in line capacity that would be caused by trains stopping there.
The final breakthrough in the east tube occurred on Friday 15 October 2010 at 14:17 +0200. The final breakthrough in the west tube occurred on Wednesday 23 March 2011 at 12:20.
Read more about this topic: Gotthard Base Tunnel
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“There’s no art
To find the mind’s construction in the face:
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An absolute trust.”
—William Shakespeare (1564–1616)