Repairs to the Gotthard Base Tunnel remain on pace for a full reopening in September, according to a project update on the Swiss Federal Railways website.
The lane-change gate at the Faido multifunction point — which seals off the two bores of the tunnel at a crossover, to prevent the spread of fire or other problems — is now being installed. The original gate was damaged in the August 2023 derailment that closed the world’s longest rail tunnel [see “Derailment closes Switzerland’s Gotthard Base Tunnel,” Trains News Wire, Aug. 10, 2023]. Tunnel activity remains limited, although use has gradually been expanded [see “Passenger, freight traffic through Gotthard Base Tunnel to increase …,” News Wire, Feb. 8, 2024].
The massive airtight door, approximately four meters wide and seven meters high when complete, is custom made and was brought into the tunnel in parts; it is now being assembled, a process that will take approximately six weeks. Once the door is in place, its electromechanical and hydraulic controls must be installed and tested.
More than 7 kilometers (4.3 miles) of track within the tunnel were damaged as a railcar with a broken wheel passed through before ultimately derailing when it reached a switch at the Faido multifunction point. That track has now been replaced, along with 20,000 concrete ties and the concrete base layer on which they rest. The motorized switches at Faido have also been replaced.
Remaining work includes installation of such fixtures as lighting and fire sensors, as well as a complete cleaning including vacuuming of all dust by a special construction train. Extensive testing will then follow.
Reopening of the tunnel will allow the resumption of half-hourly passenger service between German-and Italian-speaking Switzerland, as well as points in Italy, and end the diversion of service over the historic Gotthard Pass route.