The tunnels are a real miracle of architecture, which dates back to quite ancient times. Typically, people used to use underground tunnels for shelter from enemies and secret transitions from one place to another. Today, tunnels are built for completely different purposes - they make it possible to shorten the route of a train or car, and also connect different countries. Moreover, there are underground structures that are of considerable size. So what are the longest tunnels in the world, and where are they located?
Seikan Railway Tunnel
This tunnel, located in Japan and connecting the islands of Honshu and Hokkaido, is currently the longest in the world - its length is 53,900 meters. It’s hard to imagine how long it will take to travel on foot from the beginning to the end of the Seikan Tunnel. Moreover, it is considered the longest not only among railway tunnels, but also among underwater tunnels. The longest tunnel in the world began its work in 1988. Approximately $360,000,000 was spent on its construction.
Nowadays, this tunnel is not used for its intended purpose as often as it was previously. The reason for this is the great popularity of airlines, which also allow people to save time and money. But we can confidently say that the construction of this structure has led to the fact that Japan is still a strong and united country. It is worth noting that Seikan is the longest in the world until the Gotthard Tunnel, which is under construction in Switzerland, is put into operation.
Gotthard railway tunnel
This structure will be the longest tunnel in the world, as its length will be 57,000 meters. The construction of this structure has been going on for 14 years and it is planned that trains will begin traveling through it in 2017. It was laid under the Saint Gotthard mountain pass, where the name of the tunnel actually came from. Its main purpose is to communicate across the Alps by rail.
The Gotthard Tunnel is designed in such a way that trains move through it in the opposite direction. It is assumed that high-speed trains will travel through this tunnel at a speed of 250 km/h, and freight trains will move at a speed of at least 160 km/h. Well, while this tunnel is still preparing to become the longest in the world, let’s look at other tunnels that are impressive in their length.
The length of this tunnel, located under the English Channel and connecting Great Britain (Folkestone) and France (Calais), is 50,500 meters. Its construction began back in 1802, but was stopped due to the political situation and hesitation on the British side. But in 1988, construction of the structure was resumed, and in 1994 the railway tunnel began to operate. The world's largest train carrying cars, called the Eurotunnel Shuttle, moves through the tunnel.
Although the Eurotunnel is inferior to the world's longest Seikan Tunnel in total length, it has a much larger underwater section - approximately 39,000 meters, which is 14,700 meters longer than the Seikan underwater section. Although the Eurotunnel has a special role in creating communication between Britain and the mainland, it is considered unprofitable from an economic point of view.
Mountain Tunnel Lötschberg
It is the longest land tunnel, which, compared to other similar structures, is quite young, since it was built in 2006 and began to be used in 2007. Its construction took only two years and all this thanks to the innovative technologies that were used.
This Swiss tunnel has a length of 34,700 meters. Both passenger and freight trains travel along it. This tunnel allows tourists to take the shortest route to the Welsh thermal resorts– in this way, over 20,000 Swiss residents visit these resorts every week.
Automotive Laerdal tunnel
This tunnel, located in Norway, is the longest among automobile tunnels. Its length is 24,500 meters. This tunnel was developed according to modern standards. It consists of four parts, each of which is illuminated in a special way - the effect of natural lighting is ensured (if it is dawn outside, then in the tunnel there will also be an imitation of morning lighting, and if it is sunset, then there will be lighting similar to twilight light). Another positive thing is that you don’t have to pay to travel through the tunnel – it’s absolutely free.
A tunnel is an underground or underwater structure, the main purpose of which is to ensure the movement of traffic or the movement of water over long distances.
Since ancient times, tunnels ( underground passages) were common, although they were used mainly by people who secretly moved along them or hid from enemies.
Today, tunnels are built for various purposes, so they are classified according to their purpose: railway, road, sewer, water supply facilities and others.
The longest railway tunnel in the world
In 2017, the Gotthard Base Tunnel in Switzerland is considered the longest railway tunnel in the world. In addition to setting a record for length, it is also defined as the deepest tunnel in the world, since the distance from the surface of the mountains in some places is equal to 2300 km.
Construction took 17 years, and the first projects appeared back in 1947. The grand opening took place on June 1, 2016, although test movements around the facility began in 2015. And since December 2016, the tunnel has been operating at full capacity.
The Gotthard Tunnel is built under St. Gotthard, a mountain pass in the Swiss Alps. Its length is equal to 57 km, and if we take into account that the tunnel consists of two parallel overpasses, then the construction mileage doubles. Along these two parallel trunks, movement occurs in the opposite direction. High-speed trains reach speeds of up to 250 km/h, freight trains – 160 km/h.
When creating the tunnel project, technologies were used to ensure maximum safety during transportation. A system for evacuating people in case of an accident has been established (one tunnel serves as an exit from another every 325 meters), and the presence of modern computer systems allows you to quickly respond to emerging problems. There are also emergency stations and shafts in the tunnel. Its construction cost $12 billion.
As of 2017, 260 freight and 65 high-speed trains pass through the tunnel per day, with an average travel time of 20 minutes.
The longest road tunnel in the world
- a country of fjords and mountains. Its beauty is undeniable, but from a practical point of view, moving around Norway is extremely difficult, since you either have to overcome mountain ranges or use the ferry even for short distances. The situation stabilized when active construction of underground facilities began in Norway.
Laerdal Tunnel (Lerdal) is the longest road tunnel in the world. Its construction began in 1995, and in 2000 the facility was already put into operation. The length of Laerdal is 24.5 km, although it will take 20 minutes to overcome it, since it is prohibited to develop high speed in the tunnel. Given the monotony of the road, special passenger safety measures were used during the design.
To ensure driver attentiveness, “curved” sections were built on the straight road, and after covering a distance of 6 km, you can relax in artificially created caves (grottoes). In the same section of the tunnel, it is planned to turn the car around if necessary. The developers paid great attention to the lighting of the object. There is white lighting along the entire length, and the caves are highlighted with blue-yellow light, reminiscent of a sunrise. There are also noise strips installed on the highway to attract the driver's attention.
There were no options for emergency exits in Laerdal, so emergency telephones were installed 250 meters away. Fire extinguishers are located along the entire length of the route, and if an emergency does occur, activated signs “Turn to the exit” warn drivers about this. A special computer system counts cars at the entrance and exit, so in the event of an emergency it is reliably known whether the cars remained inside the tunnel.
Thanks to Lerdahl, the travel time was halved; previously it took 50 minutes to cover this distance through the mountains. However, many people prefer the “traditional” method of transportation, considering the Lärdal Tunnel to be too monotonous for travel.
The longest tunnels in Russia
The North-Muysky tunnel is considered the longest railway tunnel in Russia. Its length is equivalent to 15.3 km, and construction took 26 years, including serious unscheduled interruptions in work.
The North Muysky Tunnel is part of the Baikal-Amur Mainline (BAM), its construction began in 1977, and the official opening took place in 2003. Theoretically, the service life is designed for 100 years.
The tunnel is located in a seismic zone equal to 9 points. Sometimes there were two strong earthquakes a day, followed by a cessation of construction of the facility for a long period of time. Difficulties arose due to the harsh local climate and mountainous terrain. The combination of these factors significantly complicated construction, affecting the timing and financial part. A total of 9 billion rubles were spent on the construction of the tunnel.
Today, an average of 15 trains pass through the North Muisky Tunnel, with a travel time of 15 minutes (previously this distance was covered in 1.5 hours). The train speed varies from 48 to 56 km/h.
However, the difficult natural conditions in the tunnel area are monitored by geologists around the clock to prevent serious accidents.
If we talk about road tunnels in Russia, the leading position in terms of length is occupied by the Gimrinsky tunnel, built in Dagestan. Its length is 4303 meters, and the hourly traffic volume is 4000 cars moving along 4 different lanes.
Construction of the tunnel began in 1979, and in 1991 it gradually began to be put into operation, while construction work continued in parallel. In 2007, the tunnel was closed due to terrorist attacks, however, since 2012 it has been considered officially open again.
The Gimry tunnel is one of the most modern, since during the reconstruction expensive equipment from Italy, manufactured specifically for this project, was used. A seismic laboratory is located next to the tunnel to prevent emergency situations. Each section of the tunnel has lighting; it is also equipped with an automatic fire alarm, telephone communication for emergency assistance, etc. The construction estimate amounted to 10 billion rubles.
In the capital of Russia, the first place in terms of length is occupied by the Lefortovo tunnel, 3.2 km long and 7 lanes for traffic. It is located in the south-eastern part of Moscow, known by the nickname “tunnel of death”.
There is a simple explanation for this nickname. The tunnel's hourly load is 3,500 cars, but during peak hours the number doubles. This factor leads to a large number of fatal accidents, which is why the tunnel is considered the most dangerous in Russia.
The longest tunnels in Europe and new construction projects
In addition to the Gotthard Tunnel, described above, the Eurotunnel, the second longest in Europe, is of particular interest. The length of the Eurotunnel is 51 km, 39 km of which lie under the English Channel. Thanks to this tunnel, Europe is connected to Great Britain, and in America it is recognized as “one of the wonders of the world.” The average fare is 17 euros per person.
Also of great length are Lechberg in Switzerland (34 km), the Guadarrama Tunnel (28.4 km) and others. However, every year new large-scale tunnel projects appear, striving to set world records for their length.
A most interesting project The future is recognized as the Transatlantic Tunnel. Its goal is to build a route from North America to Europe, passing under the Atlantic Ocean. According to the plan, the Transatlantic Tunnel will be 88 times longer than the Gotthard Tunnel. True, by 2017 only the construction project had been developed in detail, the start of work was postponed indefinitely.
The main problem of construction is financing. Average cost estimates range from US$175 billion to US$12 trillion. Therefore, it is unknown when the planned project will be implemented in practice.
Mankind began to build the first structures resembling today's tunnels back in the Stone Age and over the past years has achieved certain successes in this matter. We have selected the most remarkable ones that currently exist: get acquainted.
First known underwater tunnel built in ancient Babylon near the Euphrates more than two thousand years before the birth of Christ. Technologies have changed since then, but the essence has not: tunnels are still the most convenient way to separate traffic flows vertically and overcome various natural and man-made obstacles when moving people and goods. But not only them.
The longest in the world: Delaware Aqueduct (New York State, USA)
The honorary title of the longest operating tunnel in the world today is held by a structure not intended for the movement of people and goods. It supplies New York City with about 4.9 million cubic meters of fresh water daily from the Rondout Reservoir in the Catskill Mountains, that is, about half of what a metropolis of 20 million uses over the same period. The length of the tunnel is 137 kilometers with a diameter of 4.1 meters, and it runs at a depth of up to 300 m. It was built at a bad time for the United States and the entire Northern Hemisphere: work started in 1939 and ended only in 1944.
Pumping stations are used to pump water underground and through rivers. Those located in New York, like this one, look stylish, somewhat reminiscent of Palladian villas
Delaware Aqueduct (Delaware Aqueduct) although it supplies the most Big city The United States has had water for seven decades now, but nevertheless there is no problem: it is leaking. As a result of leaks, at least 140 thousand cubic meters are lost into the soil. m daily, which would be enough to provide clean drinking water to about half a million people. And it would be nice if the water just went into the ground! No, it floods buildings and fields and harms nature. To solve the problem, the City Defense Department environment New York City is building a parallel tunnel to replace the most damaged section of the aqueduct. The cost of work to eliminate leaks is approaching one and a half billion dollars.
|
Universal tunnel SMART (Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia) One of the options for using tunnels is to combat flooding by draining water. In the capital of Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur, they decided to build a universal two-level tunnel SMART (Stormwater Management And Road Tunnel), through which both vehicles and water can flow during heavy rains.
Normally, the tunnel operates like a car tunnel and is used to bypass the city center (along the upper level). During heavy rains, water from the city storm drain is discharged to the lower level. And if there is a very serious threat of flooding, the tunnel is closed to car traffic and both levels are used for drainage. When the danger passes, the vehicle part can be returned to service within 48 hours. Only since the beginning of 2007, when it was opened SMART, until the summer of 2010, the tunnel saved the center of Kuala Lumpur from seven severe floods. |
Longest railway: Gotthard Base Tunnel (Switzerland)
Opening ceremony of the Gotthard Base Tunnel (Gotthard-Basistunnel) took place in Switzerland on June 1, 2016. Thus ended almost a quarter-century (the first construction work began in 1993) history of the construction of not only the longest (57 km from portal to portal), but also the deepest (up to 2450 meters of rock rises above the tunnel) railway tunnel in the world. And it cannot be said that the Gotthard Pass, which, roughly speaking, separates Italy from Germany, could not be overcome in any other way: apart from the picturesque winding path through the pass on the surface, before the opening of the GBT it was possible to use the old railway tunnel (built in 1882) or the road (1980), however, to get to them, both trains and motorists had to overcome many kilometers of dangerous mountain roads with dozens of sharp turns, which greatly complicated the task.
The northern portal of the Gotthard Base Tunnel is located near the town of Erstfeld at an altitude of 460 m above sea level. In this photo you can see that, in fact, we are talking about two parallel electrified tunnels with a diameter of 8.83–9.58 m. By the way, the tunnel is called the base one because it is laid at the base of the mountain range whose name it bears
Now it is possible to get from Zurich to Milan in just 2 hours 50 minutes instead of the previous 3 hours 40 minutes, and at high speed train, following in the tunnel at speeds of up to 250 km/h (during testing, ICE trains even accelerated to 275 km/h). In total, there are about 65 such trains per day - they carry about 10 thousand passengers per day, and the increase in traffic was 30% in the first 8 months of operation of the tunnel. But freight traffic is still more important - up to 260 freight trains can be carried through the tunnel per day. It was precisely for the sake of transferring cargo transportation from road to rail transport that everything was started. Construction cost approximately 10 billion Swiss francs and nine lives - that's how many of the 3,500 people who built the tunnel died during construction.
|
Natural Tunnel (Virginia, USA) To lay railway tracks or a highway in the thickness of the earth, humanity does not necessarily have to chisel away at the rock for a long time and persistently - we can use what nature itself has built over millions of years. Although now the cave and its surroundings have been given the status nature conservation area- state park (Natural Tunnel State Park)- and they are equipped for the stay of numerous tourists; trains still pass through the cave tunnel, although they only transport coal from nearby mines This is what they did at the end of the 19th century in the American state of Virginia, laying railway through a natural cave made by groundwater in the thickness of limestone and dolomite. Nature created an underground structure, open at both ends, 255 meters long, up to 61 meters wide and up to 24 meters high. This is a real wonder of the world, European settlers in North America decided. This is a real tunnel - it would be a shame not to use it, their descendants-industrialists decided a couple of hundred years later, and launched freight and passenger trains through the cave. |
Longest underwater: Eurotunnel (under the English Channel between France and Great Britain)
Even if this tunnel (also known as Channel Tunnel And Le tunnel sous la Manche) would not be the current world record holder for the length of the underwater part, it should be included in our selection - for its symbolism. Opened in 1994, it embodied the almost two-century-old (the first plans for such a structure appeared in 1802) European dream of connecting the British Isles and the continent with a land line. It was built for a relatively short time, only six years, and they paid an astronomical amount even by today’s standards - about 9 billion pounds sterling (that is, 21 billion dollars at the then exchange rate), which turned out to be more than the planned 5.5 billion pounds. In any case, the project remained for quite a long time the most expensive infrastructure project in history.
On the continent, the tunnel begins in the Calais area. This photo shows how the railway tracks after the turning circle turn to the right and go towards the sea. There's a portal to Britain
As a result, we got two parallel tunnels with a diameter of 7.6 m 30 meters from each other for trains and a 4.8-meter service tunnel between them. The length of the railway part is 50 km, 37.9 of which pass under the bottom of the English Channel at a depth of 75 meters (or 115 meters below sea level).
On both sides the tunnel is connected to the high-speed rail network, thus connecting European railways with British ones. Trains run between London on one side and Paris, Brussels and Lille on the other. If you prefer to travel around Europe by car, the tunnel will help you too: you will not depend on the weather and suffer from pitching when crossing the English Channel by ferry. Instead, you can roll your car to Eurotunnel Shuttle- a 775-meter road train that will cross the strait through a tunnel in 35 minutes. True, you won’t go far on it: only to a special terminal in Nord-Pas-de-Calais or Kent: the parameters of the train are such that it is excellent for the fast and safe transportation of cars and trucks, but the train simply won’t go further.
|
Between two continents: Marmaray tunnel (Istanbul, Türkiye) In terms of symbolism and significance, the Eurotunnel has a competitor - the Marmaray tunnel (Marmaray), lying under the bottom of the Bosphorus Strait and connecting the European and Asian parts of Istanbul, that is, in a sense, two continents: a 1.4-kilometer tunnel, or rather two parallel single-track tunnels for metro trains, built as part of a project to modernize the transport system of Istanbul, runs under the bottom the Bosphorus Strait at a depth of 60 meters in an earthquake-prone area and, moreover, in muddy soil and is capable of surviving an earthquake of magnitude up to 7.0.
While the tunnel was being built, in the ground on the European shore of the strait they discovered the remains of the harbor of Theodosius, the main port of ancient Constantinople, with a mass of ancient and medieval artifacts, including the remains of Byzantine galleys discovered for the first time, and then traces of the first human settlement on the territory of modern Istanbul, which is supposed to , arose around the 7th millennium BC. |
Deepest: Eiksund Tunnel (Norway)
Speaking about tunnels laid under the seabed, one cannot fail to mention Eiksundtunnelen. In comparison with the previous ones, it is very small - 7.8 km long - and, moreover, it is intended for vehicle traffic and connects more than two largest countries Europe, and small villages on islands in the western Norwegian province of Mere og Romsdal with the continent. Its uniqueness lies in the fact that it is laid at a depth of up to 287 meters below sea level, and from the bottom of the Storfjord to the tunnel in some places there is up to 50 meters of rock.
The opening ceremony of the tunnel took place on February 23, 2008 - five years after the start of construction. The latter, by the way, was cheaper than planned - an amazing thing for infrastructure projects
The Eiksund tunnel is only part of the road complex, which also includes two smaller tunnels and a 405-meter bridge. The total population in the villages served by the complex is about 40 thousand people.
|
Tunnels high in the mountains The purpose of a tunnel, as is commonly thought, is to go deep underground. However, you can climb underground even at high altitudes above sea level. This is done, for example, by one of the highest tunnels in the world - the Eisenhower Road Tunnel (or, officially, the Eisenhower and Edwin Johnson Memorial Tunnel, Eisenhower-Edwin C. Johnson Memorial Tunnel) 2.72 km long, cut under the American Continental Divide in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado, USA, at an altitude of 3357–3401 m (west and east entrance respectively) to facilitate highway traffic I-70. This is what the eastern portal of the Eisenhower Tunnel looks like. Just above the tunnel at Loveland Pass is an excellent ski resort The Eisenhower Tunnel's competitor in the fight for the title of world record holder is the railway tunnel under Mount Jungfrau in the Swiss Alps. It, along with underground stations and an open area, was completed by 1912 after 16 years of hard work. The tunnel is 7 km long (and the entire line is 9.3 km), the maximum height above sea level is 3454 m with a height difference of 1400 m. It is intended for pleasure trips along a narrow-gauge cogwheel railway line to the picturesque Jungfraujoch pass. It is noteworthy that the record for the number of passengers per day, recorded on June 1, 2000, was 8,148 people. No wonder: the cost of a ticket for an adult starts from 113 francs (about 7,000 rubles) - compare with the free Eisenhower Tunnel, through which about 30 thousand cars pass a day. |
Longest road road: Lærdal Tunnel (Norway)
Another record-breaking tunnel was built in Norway - Lerdalsky (Lærdalstunnelen) 24.51 kilometers long, it is currently the world's longest road tunnel. It is located about five hours by car along winding roads from Eiksund, connects the municipalities of Aurland and Laerdal in the province of Sogn og Fjordane and is part of the motorway between the two largest cities countries - Oslo and Bergen, the introduction of which freed Norwegians from the need to overcome the section of the route between the cities by ferry or by mountain roads, especially inhospitable in winter and in bad weather.
While the tunnel itself is usually illuminated with white lamps, the cave sections dividing it into sections are illuminated in blue and yellow. This lighting is designed to imitate the dawn sky and is designed to reduce driver fatigue
Although the distance of approximately 25 km may not seem like much (only 20 minutes at the speed limit), the creators of the tunnel made sure that drivers travel through it as hassle-free as possible - in particular, so that they do not fall asleep at the wheel and do not experience an attack of claustrophobia. To do this, the tunnel is divided into three large caves where you can stop or make a U-turn. It is noteworthy that in the same province they are seriously thinking about the construction of another tunnel - the Stadsky shipping tunnel, designed so that ships, including ferries, now bypassing the peninsula of the same name, could easily overcome one of the most dangerous sections of the sea off the coast of Western Norway. The construction of the tunnel, about 2 km long, 49 m high, 36 m wide and 12 m deep, is planned to begin this year or next, and will be completed in 2023. When and if the tunnel is built, Around the World will certainly talk about it - stay with us.
|
The longest in Russia The longest tunnel in Russia, although much shorter in length than those described above, is no less impressive: 15 kilometers 343 meters through the granite of the North Muya Range in Buryatia took 26 years. This is not surprising: the builders had to contend with quicksand under pressure of up to 34 atmospheres, faults and other geological difficulties, as well as harsh climate, radon and background radiation and lack of funding - mining work began in 1977, and the first train passed through the tunnel only in 2001, thus, the project survived both the crisis and the collapse of the USSR, and the crisis of the early 1990s. The commissioning of the tunnel made it possible to establish non-stop movement of heavy freight trains along the BAM, which previously had to be disbanded and carried out in parts through a detour along steep avalanche-prone routes and viaducts. Travel time has been reduced on this section from two hours to 20–25 minutes. |
Photo: Jim.henderson / Wikimedia Commons, Emran Kassim / Flickr, Zacharie Grossen / Wikimedia Commons, Virginia State Parks / Wikimedia Commons, Philippe TURPIN / Getty Images, T.Müller / Wikimedia Commons, Patrick Pelster / Wikimedia Commons, Svein-Magne Tunli / Wikimedia Commons
The other day, the official opening of a tunnel through the Alps to Switzerland took place, the construction of which took 17 years. The Gotthard Base Tunnel is 57 kilometers long, making it the longest in the world. Moreover, since in some places the maximum height of the mountains above the tunnel is 2300 meters, it is not only the longest, but also the deepest in the world.
Europe's largest rail project is the Crossrail high-speed rail system, but the tunnel portion is only 42 kilometers long. The Gotthard Base Tunnel is, in turn, only 3 kilometers longer than Japan's Seikan Tunnel and 7 kilometers longer than the Eurotunnel between the UK and France, both of which carry rail passenger traffic. In addition, among all tunnels of any type in the world, Gotthard now ranks 9th.
If you add up all the actually used branches and forks that make up the Gotthard Base Tunnel, then its total length, including various service forks and transitions, will be 152 kilometers. In addition, the entire length of the tunnel lies on one level, there are no ascents or descents.
The original idea for this tunnel dates back 68 years, but plans have been rewritten many times for countless reasons. When construction was finally approved, up to 2,400 people worked at the sites during rush hour. During the entire construction period, 9 people died.
Engineers and miners had to cut through many different types of rock, including granite and sedimentary rocks. About 80 percent of the work was done with huge drilling machines. The laying of the remaining 20 percent was carried out using explosive methods. A total of 31.1 million tons of rock were mined.
When laying the continuous sub-rail began, the task required the efforts of 125 workers who worked in three shifts over three years. As a result, 131,000 cubic meters of concrete, 290 kilometers of under-rail material and 380,000 cross beams (struts) were used.
The tunnel connects the commune of Erstfeld with the town of Bodio. Every day, 325 trains will pass through it, 260 of which will be freight (travelling at a speed of 160 km/h), and the remaining 65 will be passenger trains (travelling at a speed of 200 km/h). Passenger train speeds are expected to increase over time, with 250 km/h eventually becoming the standard. This will reduce travel between Zurich and Lugano, which are located in the northern and southern parts of Erstfeld and Bodio respectively, by approximately 45 minutes.
The longest and deepest tunnel in the world, running under Swiss Alps, has finally opened! To mark this occasion, in this article we will look at the longest railway tunnels in the world.
So, let's go!
10. Gumzang Tunnel, South Korea - 20.3 km
(Geumjeong Tunnel)
Gumzangl is ranked tenth on the list of the longest railway tunnels in the world. It is part of the Seoul-Busan High Speed Railway. A tunnel buried in the mountains connects the Nopo area with Busanjin Station in Busan.
Also, Gumzangl is the longest railway tunnel in South Korea. It is located at a depth of more than 300 m from the ground. Its width is 14 meters, height 12. The tunnel belongs to the South Korean Railway Administration.
Construction of the tunnel, which was completed in 2009, took place in three sections. The first two sites were opened in 2008. The last section, connecting Nopo-dong and Hwameong-dong, was completed in February 2009.
9. Wushaoling Tunnel, China - 21.05 km
(Wushaoling Tunnel)
Wushaoling, a railway tunnel in Gansu province in northwestern China, was the country's longest tunnel until the end of 2007. Located on the Lanzhou-Xinjiang Railway crossing the Wushaoling Mountains. After the tunnel was put into operation, the road between Lanzhou and Urumqi was shortened by 30.4 km and became completely double-track.
The tunnel consists of two parallel threads, laid at a distance of 40 meters from each other. The portal on the Lanzhou side is located at an altitude of 2663 m, the opposite portal is at an altitude of 2447 m. During the construction of the tunnel, a new Austrian tunneling method was used; the tunnel equipment allows trains to pass at speeds of up to 160 km/h. The eastern line of the Wushaoling tunnel was put into operation in March 2006, the western line in August 2006. The total construction cost was 7.8 billion yuan.
22,221 km
(Daishimizu Tunnel)
Daismizu Tunnel, Japan. Photo: Nihongarden/Wikimedia Commons
A railway tunnel on the Jōetsu Shinkansen high-speed line on the border of Gunma and Niigata prefectures.
In 1978, construction of the Dai-Shimizu Tunnel was completed. This tunnel was dug specifically for the Joetsu Shinkansen line, which was scheduled to be completed in 1982. This tunnel was the longest tunnel in the world. During construction, a fire broke out in the tunnel, resulting in very heavy smoke - 16 workers died from carbon monoxide poisoning. The Daismizu Tunnel reduced travel time between Niigata and Tokyo to approximately one hour and forty minutes, three hours faster than the regular Joetsu Line.
In addition, during the construction of the tunnel, potable natural mineral water was discovered, which is still sold in bottles to this day.
24 km
(Wienerwald Tunnel)
Wienerwald Tunnel, Austria. Photo: Line29 / Wikimedia Commons The 13.35 kilometer long railway tunnel near Vienna, which has been in operation since December 9, 2012, runs under the northern part of the Wienerwald between Gablitz and Mauerbach. This section of the new section, with speeds of up to 250 kilometers per hour, between Vienna and St. Pölten, is part of the Austrian Western Railway.
The Vienna-St. Pölten section, the current four-way and largest railway corridor in the Westbahn, received two new high-speed branches extending far north of the original line. The largest superstructure is a tunnel that crosses the Wienerwald mountains.
11 km from the western portal of the Wienerwald Tunnel, a double-pipe tunnel (a tunnel consisting of two connected single-track pipes) was built, and the rest is a double-track single-pipe section. Construction of the single-pipe section began in the fall of 2004 using blasting and drilling. The tunnel drilling was completed two years later, structural work was completed in February 2010, and road construction began in the summer of 2010.
The Wienerwald Tunnel is only part of the tunnel complex: its eastern (Viennese) portal ends with an underground passage into a 2.2 km long tunnel with two additional lines for the old Westbahn (which has already been in operation since December 2008) and the Lainzer Tunnel - single-pipe, double-track tunnel with a length of 11.73 km, which opened in 2012). The eastern portal of the Lainzer Tunnel branches into two portals. A total of 24 km of the Wienerwald and Lainzer Tunnel allow travelers along the Westbahn to visit Vienna's new main station. This tunnel is the longest tunnel in Austria.
6. Iwate-Ichinohe Tunnel, Japan - 25,810 km
(Iwate-Ichinohe Tunnel)
The Japanese Iwate-Ichinohe Overland Rail Tunnel is part of the Tohoku Shinkansen line connecting Tokyo with Aomori. When it opened in 2002, it was the longest land tunnel in the world, but was surpassed by the Swiss Lötschberg Tunnel in June 2007.
The tunnel is located 545 km from Tokyo Station on the Tohoku Shinkansen Line, halfway between Morioka and Hachinohe. Preliminary work on the construction of the tunnel began in 1988. Construction began in 1991. The tunnel began operating when the railway opened in 2002. Maximum depth is about 200 m.
The tunnel passes through the hilly terrain near Mount Kitakami and Mount Ou. The Mabuchi and Kitakami rivers are located near the Tokyo Tunnel Port.
The Iwate-Ichinohe is a single-tube, double-track, horseshoe-shaped structure. Cross-sectional dimensions: 9.8 m (width) x 7.7 m (height). The tunnel rises with a 0.5% gradient from Tokyo Port for approximately 22 km and then descends with a 1% gradient to Aomori Port. During its construction it was used new method Austrian tunneling (New Austrian Tunnelling method; NATM).
26.455 km
(Hakkōda Tunnel)
Hakkoda Tunnel, Japan. Photo: Wikimedia Commons The railway tunnel, with a total length of 26,445 kilometers (16,432 miles), is located in northern Japan in the central Aomori Prefecture. It extends across the Hakkyoda Range and links the village of Tenmabayashi with the city of Aomori.
The Hakkoda Tunnel is part of the Tohoku Shinkansen Northern Line and is located between Shichino-Budawa and Shin Aomori stations. Preliminary work on the tunnel began in August 1998. On February 27, 2005, it surpassed the Iwate-Ichinoe Tunnel of the same Tohoku Shinkansen line to become the world's longest surface tunnel. After just two months, this title was taken away from him by the Swiss Lötschberg Tunnel, which lost this title thanks to the Gotthard Base Tunnel that opened in 2016. However, the Lötschberg Tunnel is mostly single-track, while the Gotthard Base Tunnel is double-track, which is why it remains the longest double-track single-pipe surface railway tunnel in the world.
The tunnel began operating in 2010.
4. New Guan Jiao Tunnel, China - 32.645 km
(New Guanjiao Tunnel)
New Guan Jiao Tunnel, China. Photo: Wikimedia Commons This double-pipe railway tunnel is located on Line 2 of the Qinghai-Tibet Railway in GuanJiao Mountains, Qinghai Province. The total length of the tunnel is 32,645 km (20,285 mi), making it the longest railway tunnel in China.
The China Railway First Survey and Design Institute was responsible for the design of the tunnel. The new Guan Jiao Tunnel was designed for two parallel single-track tunnels with travel speeds of up to 160 kilometers per hour (99 mph). The total duration of construction was 5 years. The tunnel was built in difficult geological conditions and at high altitude, exceeding 3,300 meters (10,800 ft) above sea level. Work on its construction began in 2007 and was completed in April 2014. The tunnel was opened on December 28, 2014.
The northeastern portal of the tunnel (37.1834°N 99.1778°E) is located in Tianjun County, the southwestern portal (37.0094°N 98.8805°E) is located in Wulan County.
3. Eurotunnel / Channel Tunnel, UK-France - 50 km
(Channel Tunnel)
Eurotunnel, UK-France. Photo: 4plebs.org Connecting the UK to mainland Europe (portals to Folkestone, Kent and Pas de Calais in northern France), the tunnel has the world's longest underwater section at 37.9 kilometers (23.5 miles).
Despite the fact that this tunnel is a miracle of the modern era, the idea for its construction belongs to the French engineer Albert Mathieu, who in 1802 proposed to build a tunnel under the English Channel. His plans included creating an artificial island in the middle of the canal where horse-drawn carriages could stop for maintenance.
“This is a megaproject. It has revolutionized the geography of Europe and helped cement high-speed rail as a viable alternative to short-haul flights,” said Matt Sykes, tunnel expert and director of engineering firm Arup.
Interesting fact : despite the fact that both the British and the French began work on creating the tunnel at the same time, the former did more work.
53,850 km
(Seikan Tunnel)
Seikan Tunnel, Japan. Photo: Bmazerolles / Wikimedia Commons A unique feature of Japan's Seikan Tunnel is that its 23.3 kilometers (14.2 miles) section lies 140 meters (460 feet) below sea level. Until the Gotthard Base Tunnel was built, Seikan was the longest and deepest railway tunnel in the world.
It spans the Tsugaru Strait, connecting Aomori Prefecture on the island of Honshu with the island of Hokkaido. Work on the tunnel began in 1964 and was completed in 1988.
Interesting fact: In 1976, construction workers stumbled upon an area of soft rock, causing water to rush into the tunnel at a rate of 80 tons per minute. The leak was neutralized only two months later.
57 km
(Gotthard Base Tunnel)
Gotthard Base Tunnel, Switzerland. Photo: Matthieu Gafsou / www.time.com European leaders, including German Chancellor Angela Merkel and former French President Francois Hollande, attended the opening ceremony of the magnificent Gotthard Base Tunnel in June 2016, which featured colorful surreal scenes featuring costumed dancers, songs and fireworks.
Located at a depth of 2,300 meters (7,545 feet, almost 1.5 miles), the tunnel cuts travel time between Zurich, Switzerland and Milan by an hour.
The 57-kilometer tunnel runs between the towns of Erstfeld in the north and Bodio in the south. According to the Swiss Travel System, trains reaching speeds of up to 250 kilometers per hour (155 mph) complete the journey in 20 minutes.
Commercial operation of the tunnel began on December 11. On this day, the first regular passenger train left Zurich at 06:09 local time and arrived in Lugano at 08:17.
The Gotthard Base Tunnel took the title of the longest railway tunnel in the world from the 53.9-kilometer northern Japanese Seikan Tunnel and pushed the 50.5-kilometer tunnel between Great Britain and France into third place.
Interesting fact: during the construction of the tunnel, 3,200 kilometers of copper cable were used, the length of which would be enough from Madrid to Moscow.
