BERN, Switzerland — The Gotthard Base Tunnel will not fully reopen to passenger and freight traffic until September 2024, Swiss Federal Railways announced today (Thursday, Nov. 2), saying ongoing repairs from an Aug. 10 derailment in the tunnel have found much more severe damage than initially believed.
The Aug. 10 incident caused damage for more than 7 kilometers as a freight train moved through the tunnel, transporting one car with a broken wheel before finally derailing [see “Broken wheel blamed …,” Trains News Wire, Aug. 14, 2023]. Repairs require replacement of the tunnel’s concrete floor and crossties and well as the rails, two high-speed switches, an airtight door which separates the tunnel’s two bores in case of emergency, and signaling and other related systems. Swiss Federal Railways (SBB, by its German initials) now estimates this work will cost 100 to 130 million Swiss francs, or about $110 million to $144 million, and says that “based on current knowledge,” both tubes of the tunnel will not be fully available until September.
Up to 80 SBB and third-party workers are working three shifts in the tunnel daily, the company says, addressing repairs in conditions that include an ambient temperature of more than 100 degrees Fahrenheit. About 300 meters of the damaged right-of-way are repaired each week.
The base tunnel, the world’s longest rail tunnel at 57.1 kilometers (35.5 miles), is the primary north-south connection between Italy and the rest of Europe. SBB said in its statement today that “it is aware the situation will be a major restriction for passengers and freight transport companies until [the tunnel] is fully operational again … [and] is examining all options to speed up the repair work with the aim of getting the base tunnel back into full operation sooner.”
Currently, the one available bore of the base tunnel is restricted to freight traffic except for a very small number of Friday, Saturday, and Sunday passenger trains [see “First passenger trains to return …,” News Wire, Sept. 28, 2023]. All other traffic is moving over the panoramic Gotthard Pass route, which dates to 1882, includes 2.7% grades, has clearance restrictions, and adds an hour to passenger travel times. SBB, which will announce its annual timetable change on Dec. 10, said it is working on a plan in which the single available base-tunnel bore will be freight-only Monday through Thursday while handling a mix of freight and passenger traffic Friday through Sunday.
“The exact concept is currently being worked on and requires safety approval from the Federal Office of Transport,” SBB said. The new plan will be announced later this month.
Methinks repairs will include adding many detectors so they can stop a train before it does 7 km of damage.
these yellow doors must be extreemly strong
An expensive derailment !!
Everyone agrees that SBB/CFF/FFS will do whatever is necessary.
Dr. Güntürk Üstün