longest rail tunnels in the world

Once completed in 2016, the Gotthard Base Tunnel will be the longest railway tunnel in the world. The 35 mile tunnel cuts under the Swiss Alps at 8,000 feet below sea level and is expected to reduce travel time between Zurich and Milan by about an hour. The building of the tunnel was an arduous feat as eight lives were lost during the process. For an up close look at the construction, the public can visit a multimedia exhibition for free or take a tour of a construction site along the tunnel.

To cross over the San Francisco Oakland Bay Bridge, drivers must travel through Yerba Buena Island by way of the Yerba Buena Island Tunnel. The tunnel, completed in 1936, remains the largest single bore tunnel in the world, measuring 76 feet wide and 58 feet high. To accommodate the large amount of traffic that travels across the bridge, the tunnel consists of two decks, each carrying five lanes.

Stretching 15 miles long, the L?rdal Tunnel is the longest road tunnel in the world. The tunnel cuts through a mountain range that sits between the cities of Oslo and Bergen, providing a faster and safer route for drivers, especially during the wintertime. To keep drivers alert during the 20 minute underground journey, architects built in three caves or resting areas that feature vivid blue and yellow lights.

The Fenghuo Mount Tunnel is the worlds highest railway tunnel, reaching an elevation of 16,093 feet. The tunnel encases part of the scenic Golmud to Lhasa route, which is a route on the Qinghai Tibet Railway. The train that travels the railway is nicknamed the rocket to the rooftop of the world because 80% of its route is at an elevation above 13,000 feet. To compensate for the lack of oxygen at such an altitude, the train is equipped with two oxygen sources as well as personal oxygen canisters.

Located in the United Kingdom, the Severn Tunnel connects South Gloucestershire to Monmouthshire, beneath the River Severn. Construction of the Severn Tunnel was carried out from 1873 to 1886, by the Great Western Railway. Although the tunnels construction was completed in 1885, it took 14 years before the tunnel could service goods trains and passenger traffic because pumping systems were still unfinished. Before the high speed 1 tunnels were built in London, the Severn Tunnel served as the countrys longest mainline tunnel. Today, it is still a significant railway line and serves a heavy amount of passenger trains and receives freight traffic as well.

Although still under construction the Eiksund Tunnel in Norway is already the deepest underwater tunnel in the world at 942ft below sea level. At 4.8 miles long, the tunnel will service the areas of Heroy, Sande, Ulstein and Hareid. The reinforcement of this mammoth tunnel has already consumed around 172,000 square foot of concrete. More than 1,300 tonnes of explosives and a staggering 5 million blast holes were used to blast out the route. The tunnel was originally intended to be opened to the public in July of 2007, but numerous delays have pushed the date back into 2008.

The Guadarrama Tunnel is part of the Spanish high speed rail network connecting Madrid and Valladolid and is one of the most important travel links in Spain. Crossing the Sierra de Guadarrama mountain peninsula, this double fornix tunnel is 16.5 miles long, with the widest of the two tunnels 33ft in diameter. The construction contract was signed in 2001, and work began soon after using a Tunnel Boring Machine, although progress was delayed by especially hard rock formations. The tunnel cost around $1.6 billion to build and upon completion, trains will be able to pass through at maximum speeds of 217mph.

An integral part of the Tokyo Bay Aqualine, the Tokyo Bay Tunnel is a 5.9 mile long link between Kawasaki City and Kisarazu City that, along with a 2.75 mile long bridge and a completely artificial island, makes up the Trans Tokyo Bay Highway. The Highway opened in 1997 and saves commuters a tedius 62 mile journey through the congested heart of Tokyo. The shield tunnel has the largest diameter of its kind in the world at 45.5ft for two lanes of traffic as well as vital protection and sturdiness in this highly earthquake prone area.

Often omitted from tunnel lists as it is in fact a metro line, the Serpukhovsko Timiryazevskaya Lines 25.5 mile length makes it the longest subway route in the world, so we feel it deserves some recognition. Originally opened in 1983, the line has been the subject of numerous expansions and lengthening until it achieved its well deserved title in 2007. It cuts the city of Moscow completely into two on a north south axis, and has a total of 25 stops along an extensive journey through the Russian capital.