Gotthard Traffic helps finding the best time to go through the Gotthard Tunnel by visualizing traffic data and providing traffic delay predictions. On Sunday 11 December 2016, the Gotthard Base Tunnel finally opened, after 17 years of boring work through the stubborn rock of the high Alps and over 9 billion of expenditure. [3], It was decided that the contract to build the tunnel ought to be subject to a competitive tendering process, during which a bidding war broke out between two engineering companies, based in Geneva and Italy respectively. It was built for the use of trains travelling from northern Switzerland to the Ticino area and beyond.[9]. [5] Accordingly, the Gotthard Railway Company was established in 1871 to develop such a route, the company being initially operated under the stewardship of the accomplished Swiss industrialist Alfred Escher. Instead of returning to Australia, I met my future husband celebrating Zug's 700th birthday. At the end of the access tunnel, two vertical shafts lead 800m (2,625ft) down to the base tunnel level. In past years, annually, more than 10,000 people have visited this spectacular construction site. Here are our tips for making the right choice. [3] It was also observed that a high degree of accuracy had successfully been achieved, a testament to the stringent surveying and directing that had been performed throughout the construction phase. Choose below the day of the week you are traveling and check the expected traffic during the day. Following the catastrophic fire in the road tunnel in 2001, car shuttle trains resumed operations for a few weeks. Swiss Poster Zrich HB (Zrich Train Station). Of all possible routes, Gotthard had historically been a favoured one for the passage of travellers by foot or packhorse. Train services from Italy to Switzerland through the line are expected to become faster from 2020,[needs update] with the opening of the Ceneri Base Tunnel, with an expected further increase in passenger numbers. [3], While the geology encounter typically comprised rocks of sufficient hardness for mechanical drilling to be used, those of exceptional hardness were often encountered, resulting in even the best drills being blunted and greatly slowing the rate of advancement, sometimes to as little as one meter per day. Subscribe to the Michelin newsletter. Le col du Gothard reprsente une alternative possible pour le transit en cas de bouchon. But everyone is desperate to avoid incidents or tragedies such as the 2001 lorry collision which fuelled a fire that killed 11 people, or the funicular tunnel fire that claimed the lives of 155 skiers and . An improvisational piggyback service from Gschenen to Airolo was offered during the two-month closure of the Gotthard Road Tunnel following a fatal fire caused by a collision in 2001. As the cantonal police in Uri announced, the rockfall occurred near Gurtnellen near the Felli Bridge. The first journey carried hundreds of Swiss citizens who had won tickets in a draw, while the assembled guests in Erstfeld, including the Federal Council in corpore, heads of state and government from neighbouring countries and transport ministers from European countries, attended the opening show Sacre del Gottardo by Volker Hesse featuring 600 dancers, acrobats, singers and musicians celebrating Alpine culture and myths around the Gotthard. Traffic jams in Switzerland are as old as the roads. The pro-tunnel Avanti Initiative brought a referendum to voters in February 2004, which was rejected (by 62.8%). Since the opening date on 1 June 2016, between 130 and 160 trains on an average working day operated through the Gotthard Base Tunnel, which in March 2019 marked the 100,000th transit. From the Amsteg portal, guided tours are organised inside the Gotthard Base Tunnel complex. Construction on a second, parallel road tunnel was started. It cannot of course predict car accidents or tunnel closures. [4] At the conference it was decided to request funds from the Federal Council. The data is in real time, updated every 15 minutes. Also, by reducing the amount of traffic, which currently consists of over 2000 trucks passing through the Gotthard road tunnel daily (one . A2 BS Hagnau . The bonus of going over the pass is being able to enjoy the mountain scenery you would have missed going through the tunnel. On 31 May 2016, a day before the inauguration, the nine people who died during construction were commemorated in a ceremony at the north portal in Erstfeld that was led by a Catholic vicar general, a vicar of the Evangelical-Reformed Church of Uri, a Jewish rabbi, and a Muslim imam. Notre vue d'ensemble desmeilleures routes de contournementdepuis toute la Suisse. If you are using a phone, turn it horizontally for best view. Gotthard overtakes the 53.9-kilometer Seikan Tunnel in northern Japan as the longest rail tunnel in the world, relegating the 50.5-kilometer Channel Tunnel between Britain and France into third place. The world's longest and deepest rail tunnel has officially opened in Switzerland, after almost two decades of construction work. Join to use and share best sources for traffic. The tunnel stretches for some 57 km or 35 miles and was planned to take some 1 million trucks off the road so that the cargo can go by train instead. Le col est gnralement ferm pour l'hiver de novembre mai. It posed a huge challenge for automobiles. The Gotthard Road Tunnel in Switzerland runs from Gschenen in the canton of Uri at its northern portal, to Airolo in Ticino to the south, and is 16.9 kilometres (10.5mi) in length below the St Gotthard Pass, a major pass of the Alps. While the base tunnel is used for InterCity trains (ICN) and EuroCity trains (EC), the summit line remains in use for regional trains. The first regularly served railway stations on the base line (as of 2016/17) are those of Arth-Goldau (Schwyz), a railway node with links to Lucerne and Zrich, and Bellinzona (the "Gate of Ticino"), with links to Locarno, Luino and Lugano (via the Monte Ceneri Rail Tunnel). The free mobile app offers Michelin maps and routes with real-time traffic, GPS Navigation with voice guidance and community alerts. News; Mobility; Additional Information. North - South; West - east; Traffic hotspots; Webcams Gotthard route. The tunnel provides a faster connection between the canton of Ticino and the rest of Switzerland, as well as between northern and southern Europe, cutting the Basel/ZrichLuganoMilan journey time for passenger trains by one hour (and from Lucerne to Bellinzona by 45 minutes). All the information on real-time traffic conditions for Passo del San Gottardo with ViaMichelin. The free mobile app offers Michelin maps and routes with real-time traffic, GPS Navigation with voice guidance and community alerts. Yet the tunnel, which opened in September 2020, is more than just a 3.6 billion Swiss franc investment in international rail infrastructure. [4] Thus in 1853, several Swiss cantons met in Lucerne for a Gotthard Conference. [3] At the suggestion of the Geneva-based engineer M. Colladon, it was decided to use compressed air as a means of conveying energy around the worksite and along the bores. It brought a newly established record to the area, already accustomed to winning these types of records. You may unsubscribe at any time by clicking the unsubscribe link included in the newsletter. The road between Gschenen and Airolo through the summit of the pass, comporting notably the Schllenen ravine and the Tremola, had countless hairpin turns and serpentine curves, dropping 1,000m (3,300ft) in altitude. Escaping down south this spring and summer? Scroll down to see the current dashboard. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience. The tunnel's speed limit is 80km/h (50mph). Every 1 km of queued traffic represents around 10 minutes of waiting. If that all seems too much, just leave the car at home. When it officially opens on June 1, the Gotthard Base Tunnel will overtake Japan's 53.9-kilometer Seikan Tunnel as the world's longest train tunnel and bump the 50.5-kilometer Channel. It connects Gschenen with Airolo and was the first tunnel through the Saint-Gotthard Massif in order to bypass the St Gotthard Pass. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance". Regardless, we always check the travel situation in front of the tunnel before leaving (see tip 3). Yes. Note: Your navigation system might try and take you on a short cut, but more often than not the police close those routes to help prevent traffic disturbances through the the villages near the tunnel. The San Gotthard Tunnel was inaugurated on June 1, 2016. Public institutions joined the celebrations: Swiss Post issued a special stamp commemorating the Gotthard Base Tunnel,[60][61] and Swissmint issued gold and silver coins dedicated to the opening. Around two-thirds of the passages were freight trains and the remaining quota were passenger trains, both national and international. Grce l'assurance voyage ETI, nous vous aidons rapidement et de manire fiable pendant vos vacances en Suisse et l'tranger. [4] In 1852, the British supported a tunnel through the Lukmanier massif, but this wasn't realized at the time. The Gotthard Base Tunnel (GBT; German: Gotthard-Basistunnel, Italian: Galleria di base del San Gottardo, Romansh: Tunnel da basa dal Sogn Gottard) is a railway tunnel through the Alps in Switzerland. You can also transfer your calculated routes from your computer to the app: to do this, you must save it in your Favourites via your Michelin account. Assistance dpannage pour les vlos classiques et lectriques, Assistance lors de dfaillance des transports publics, Emplacement : A2, peu avant Gschenen, vue en direction du sud (tunnel du St-Gothard). [41], Nine workers died during construction; one in the Amsteg section, two in the Sedrun section, and three each in the southernmost Faido and Bodio sections.[20]. In first instance it was only built for safety: an escape route in case of accidents. The Gotthard Base Tunnel, constructed from 1999 to 2010 and open to traffic in 2016, is one of the most ambitious tunneling projects in the world. The 57-kilometre (35.4-mile) tunnel, which runs under the Alps, was first. The north and south portals on the same spring day. Scroll down to see the current dashboard. Have enough nappies, water, snacks and charged devices to keep those are we there yet questions at bay. It is the shortest link between the navigable Rhine and the Po. Technical maximum speed: 250km/h (160mph), Maximum authorized speed: 230km/h (140mph), Operating speed (passenger): 200km/h (124mph) (normal) up to 230km/h (143mph) (if delay), Minimum speed: 100km/h (62mph) (freight), Amsteg (the 11.3km (7.0mi) section from Amsteg to north of, Sedrun (the 8.6km (5.3mi) East tube and 8.7km (5.4mi) West tube in the section immediately north and south of Sedrun), along with work performed by Transco (. Electrification of the railway line in 1922 significantly reduced travel time even more. Traffic flows through only one tunnel, which carries traffic both ways, with each direction allocated one lane. Gotthard Pass: The Old and the New. All of these have their drawbacks and the usage of the second tunnel was chosen as the best option to allow for the reconstruction. Internet portal for traffic news in Switzerland, with realtime traffic cams, reports of traffic jams and accidents, jam maps, pass roads, construction sites, traffic forecast, traffic obstructions, road reports If you have kids that suffer from motion sickness, be prepared. Whether you'd like it as a watch, wall clock, pocket watch or alarm clock, order the model you want online now. If you live in Switzerland, check with your Gemeinde for their Tageskarten (day cards) to make train travel even more affordable. It was opened in 1882, at the time the world's longest tunnel, though later superseded by longer tunnels, some over 50km (31mi) long. This both significantly reduces the danger of fatal road crashes involving trucks, and reduces the environmental damage caused by heavy trucks. Screen shot of the TCS Traffic app. [33], The final breakthrough in the east tube occurred on 15 October 2010 at 14:17 +02:00. The Gotthard tunnel was closed from south to north due to a rockfall. The St. Gotthard Tunnel is with 16.9 km length the 3rd longest road tunnel in the world, connecting the Swiss canton Ticino from Chiasso to Como in Italy. Hannes Ortlieb/CC BY-SA 3.0. "[21] On average, the temperature is about 3C (5F) higher on the south side than the north side, but on some days, temperature differences are well over 10C (18F). The goal of the app is to have all the important information in one single place and available in few seconds. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. The Gotthard Rail Tunnel is the world's longest and deepest Switzerland might not have the longest rail bridge, but it can now claim the longest rail tunnel in the world. The pass road culminates about 1,000 metres (3,300ft) above the tunnel, at a height of 2,106 metres (6,909ft), and is only passable in summer. Chances are youll use the Gotthard Tunnel. The existing tunnel was at its capacity by 2013. ViaMichelin routes take into account the impact of road traffic on your journey time. Aerial views of the works (by AlpTransit AG): This page was last edited on 14 February 2023, at 02:24. If our family travels over one of the public holidays in spring, we always leave early. Be prepared to wait an hour or two and be prepared to entertain your kids. in 1838 Zanino Volta of Como approached St.Gallen and Grisons with plans of a tunnel through the Splgen. Your email address will not be published. If you did get stuck in traffic be patient. AlpTransit Gotthard Ltd (ATG) was founded on 12 May 1998. All the information on real-time traffic conditions for Tunnel del Gottardo with ViaMichelin. Quite late, compared to other current top-importance routes through the Alps (e.g. ViaMichelin routes take into account the impact of road traffic on your journey time. The St Gotthard route has probably been the most innovative route through the Alps for centuries. Take the train to avoid the traffic! 10 reviews. Autobahnzubringer Gotthardpass-Strasse, bridge closed direction Airolo-Nufenen, between Airolo and Airolo-Nufenen.