Gotthard Base Tunnel

25 October 2023

Since 1990, Switzerland has made efforts to ensure the development of the European transport system and the integration of the European high-speed rail network by building the Gotthard Base Tunnel (Gotthardbasistunnel).

The Gotthard tunnel is a crucial construction project on the European corridor connecting Rotterdam, Milan, and Genoa. The new freight line from Rotterdam to the Dutch-German border is another significant construction project. However, Germany and Italy failed to build the promised projects.

Verkehrshaus der Schweiz, Luzern. Photo: TES

The opening of the Gotthard Tunnel (1 June 2016) has a practical European meaning and symbolic value. The 15-kilometre Ceneri base tunnel in Italy and the connection between Karlsruhe and Basel are lacking. The extension of the so-called Betuwe line in the Netherlands to Germany shares a similar fate, as Germany is protecting the port of Hamburg.

The Gotthard Tunnel is also a significant milestone for the European Union. A small country in the middle of Europe has completed this project without corruption, without EU money, and a year ahead of schedule.