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30th May 2016 12:47
Link to Post #1
The world's longest tunnel
Don't know how to make the images show up on the page ..help
THOUGHT THIS IMPORTANT, IF IT TOOK 10 YEARS TO BUILD THIS, HOW VALID ARE THE STORIES ABOUT TUNNELS ACROSS AMERICA THE MONEY THAT IT TOOK AND THE TIME MADE ME THINK.
http://www.popularmechanics.com/tech...otthard-base-t
unnel-complete/?src=social-email
The Longest Tunnel In the World Is Now Finished
The 35-mile tunnel that runs below the Swiss Alps is now complete.
More From Popular Mechanics
Getty Pier Marco Tacca
By Eric Limer
Aug 27, 2015
14.4k
Earlier this week, the new longest tunnel in the world was completed. The
Gotthard Base Tunnel started in 2004, and travels underneath the Swiss Alps for
35.4 miles. The cost of the project was just under $10 billion U.S., and now it
is finally done, though it won't see its first passenger trains until next year.
The Gotthard Base tunnel was constructed some 2,000 feet below an existing 10
mile tunnel that was opened in 1882. In addition to accommodating more trains
through the mountain range on its two parallel one-track tubes, the new tunnel
is rated to handle a whole lot more weight. It can handle trains up to 4,000
short tons, more than twice that of its predecessor.
To dig the extremely long tunnel, miners used an army of mining machines three
stories high and over 1,200 feet long, drilling from both sides. They finally
met in the middle in 2010, and the last bit of track was laid down on October
31st of 2014.
Getty Stringer
The next step is to begin testing the tunnel's ventilation, communication
infrastructure, and of course the tracks along which trains will barrel at
speeds of up to 150 miles per hour. The testing begins in October and if all
goes well—so far it has; the project has suffered no large delays—the first
passenger trains will blast through it on June 1st, 2016. This is one tunnel
you'll have no hope of holding your breath all the way though.
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30th May 2016 20:46
Link to Post #2