World's longest railway tunnel in Switzerland will travel at 155mph for 35 miles

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The new Gotthard Base Tunnel (GBT) will measure 35.4 miles in length and is 7,545 feet below the Gotthard massif
The tunnel through the Swiss Alps was first conceived in sketch-form in 1947 but construction began 17 years ago
Journey time between Zurich and Milan will be cut by an hour thanks to trains hurtling along at up to 155mph

Published: 07:45 EST, 24 May 2016 | Updated: 01:28 EST, 25 May 2016

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The world's longest railway tunnel is set to open in just over a week - after some 17 years of construction.

Measuring 35.4-miles in length, the Gotthard Base Tunnel (GBT) is 7,545 feet below the Gotthard massif, cutting through the Swiss Alps.

The tunnel was first conceived in sketch-form in 1947 but construction began 17 years ago. It consists of two single-track tunnels connecting Erstfeld (Uri) with Bodio (Ticino) and passing below Sedrun (Graubünden).

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The Gotthard Base Tunnel will measure 35.4 miles in length and is 7,545 feet below the Gotthard massif, cutting through the Swiss Alps

It's claimed that the tunnel (pictured), will have environmental and economic benefits

Testing of trains is set to being on June 1, with the first passenger-loaded carriages set to start journeys in December this year

Some 28.2 million tonnes of mountain rock have been excavated since construction began 17 years ago

Testing of trains will begin on Wednesday next week (June 1), with the first passenger movements expected to take place in December.

Some 28.2million tonnes of mountain rock have been excavated and an estimated €10.6 billion (£8.1/$12 billion) spent to construct a tunnel that should trim travel times through the heart of Europe by up to an hour.

Due to the rugged terrain of the Alps, connecting important cities such as Milan and Zurich is no mean feat, but thanks to the tunnel being almost completely flat along its whole length, trains will be able to travel at 155 miles per hour.

Excavation involved enormous tunnel boring machines cutting through almost 100 feet of rock every day.

The GBT will displace Japan's 33.46-mile Seikan tunnel as the world's longest train tunnel, and bump the 31.4-mile Channel Tunnel that links England and France into third place.

The construction consists of two single-track tunnels connecting Erstfeld with Bodio and is part of the AlpTransit project

Excavation involved enormous tunnel boring machines cutting through almost 100 feet of rock every day

Travel times between Zurich and Milan will be down to two hours and forty minutes, roughly an hour quicker than current times

THE WORLD'S LONGEST RAIL TUNNEL IN THE HEART OF THE SWISS ALPS

Length: 57km (the longest rail tunnel in the world)

Duration of tunnel journey: a little under 20 minutes

Total length of all the tunnels: 152km (94 miles)

Highest point of the tunnel: 550m (1,800 feet) above sea level

Maximum rock cover: 2,300m (7,545 metres)

Construction time (excluding exploratory work): 17 years

Excavated material: 28.2 million tonnes

Total cost: 12.2billion Swiss francs (£8.4billion)

Tunnel capacity: 260 freight trains and 65 passenger trains per day

Timetabled speed: freight trains 100km/h (62mph); passenger trains up to 200 km/h (125mph)

Maximum speed: freight trains 160km/h (100mph); passenger trains 250 km/h (155mph)

Reduction in journey time from Zurich to Lugano after completion

of the axis (from 2020): around 45 minutes

Official opening of the Gotthard Base Tunnel: 11 December 2016

Austria's delayed Brenner Tunnel could however slot into second place when it opens in about a decade at an estimated length of 34 miles.

A series of test runs are scheduled for the coming months, with a full service starting in December.

Among other benefits, the GBT aims to shave travel time between Zurich and Milan down to two hours and forty minutes, roughly an hour quicker than the trip currently takes by rail.

Its scheduled opening has been described as a 'godsend for Europe' by EU transport commissioner Violeta Bulc, speaking to Swiss media.

The GBT 'will be a vital link connecting Rotterdam (and) Antwerp with the ports of the Adriatic' Bulc told the Swiss daily Tages Anzeiger.

It will make north-south travel more fluid, curb air pollution and 'will be a driver of growth in Europe', the Slovenian national was further quoted as saying.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel, French President Francois Hollande and Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi, along with Swiss officials, are due to attend the grand opening next week.

The GBT will displace Japan's 33.46-mile Seikan tunnel as the world's longest train tunnel and bump the 31.4-mile Channel Tunnel that links England and France into third place

The new tunnel through the Swiss Alps will make north-south travel more fluid, curb air pollution and 'will be a driver of growth in Europe', EU transport commissioner Violeta Bulc has said