FAIDO, Switzerland — The first freight train operated through the repaired western tube of the Gotthard Base Tunnel today (Monday, Aug. 19) as part of test operations preparing for full reopening of the tunnel, Swiss Federal Railways (SBB) reports.
The 5:30 a.m. train from Chiasso bound for Basel was the first train to use the repaired tunnel; a second train, operated by SBB Cargo International, was operating from Ludwisghafen, Germany, to Gallarate, Italy.
The beginning of revenue freight moves through the tunnel follows testing last week and approval by the Federal Office of Transport. Repeated cleaning will be part of the process to prepare the tunnel for full service, currently scheduled for Sept. 2; as part of that process, all trains during the trial period — except for today’s first move — will travel from north to south through the west tube.
Passenger operations are also set to resume Sept. 2, restoring service at half-hourly intervals between German- and Italian-speaking Switzerland and reducing travel times by an hour over the current service using the panoramic Gotthard Pass route.
The west tube has been closed, completely or in part, since an Aug. 10 freight derailment involving a car with a broken wheel [see “Gotthard Base Tunnel repairs make take until September 2024,” Trains News Wire, Nov. 2, 2023]. The incident damaged more than 7 kilometers (4.3 miles) of right-of-way inside the 35.5-mile tunnel, the world’s longest rail tunnel, as well as an airtight door at a crossover point that is crucial to safety systems.
The most recent estimate of costs of the incident, including repairs and lost earnings, is about 150 million Swiss francs, currently $173 million.
Is there any info about what improvements made ass well. That is especially more dragging equipment detectors. As well, is a spare airtight door being built? As there any other spare airtight doors that might be subject to a derailment?