March 23, 2011 AND OCTOBER 15, 2010: MAIN BREAKTHROUGH AT THE GOTTHARD BASE TUNNEL.
On March 23, 2011 breakthrough was achived in the Western tube and October 15, 2010 in the eastern tube and an “unhindered view of the Mediterranean” has become a reality. A few years of finishing work will then follow, to turn the tunnel into a functioning high-speed rail route with massive security precautions, for example the two emergency stations where trains can stop in case of danger.
Here, passengers will be able to move quickly from one tunnel to the other – each of the two tubes serves as an escape route for its twin. This is a clever solution, which came after lengthy consideration of all the alternatives by all those involved in Switzerland. The work of the tunnel builders and the machines is now approaching its end. And the results are very satisfying. All risks were dealt with, all setbacks were overcome, all emotional rollercoaster rides were survived. And schedules were adhered to, despite the almost unimaginable complexity of the project. Time lost in one place was made up for elsewhere. On the occasion of the last stage goal, the Erstfeld – Amsteg breakthrough – Moritz Leuenberger, Member of the Swiss Federal Council, spoke of a triumphant victory over the doubters and moaners”. His motto was “no matter how high the mountain and no matter how hard the rock, where there’s a will there’s a way. We can do it, because we want it.”
The greatest compliment.
Martin Herrenknecht, Chairman of the Board of Management of Herrenknecht AG, also summed it up in his own words: “Anyone who masters such a huge project is at the pinnacle of infrastructure development. Europe will take off its hat to Switzerland as soon as the first trains start speeding through the new Gotthard Base Tunnel. The trust the Swiss have placed in Herrenknecht technology is the greatest complement we could ever receive as a company.”
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Achim Kühn
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