Gotthard Base Tunnel: The World's Longest Railway Tunnel 

Least common thing Simon says on Megaprojects: "It came in on budget and on time!" 1:25

When you said “on budget “ my jaw literally dropped. First mega project not to go over budget is a amazing feet alone.

Being Swiss at my fifties this tunnel has been part of my life ever since! Following the discussions in the parliament, voting on it personally, watching its completion and sharing an apartment with one of the geologist responsible for it. And I think this sentence „being finished on time and more or less on budget“ should be appreciated by the swiss population a million times higher!! Any project this size ever that was finished more or less on budget?! I think this is really something we can be proud of!!! A similar project l I’d like to mention: the railway-tunnel built directly underneath our largest city of zurich, finished a few years ago, also a marvel of engineering, on time, on budget - and almost nobody took notice of it, eben in Switzerland! But that‘s probably how we swiss are, deliver, smile for a minute and then go on with our daily business ... Thanks for another wonderfully researched, edited and commentet video (and sorry for the english ...). Sincerely, Stefan, now living near lake constance

Perhaps Germany should have hired the Swiss to build that airport...

*On time, on budget, and only **_5mm_** off of the estimated length!* Simply astonishing!

There is plenty of flat land it Switzerland 🇨🇭 it's just at an angle

Megaproject Suggestion: GPS Satellite Network. So many of us would be lost without it!

It wasn't only buildt on budget and on time, the opening actually happened one year ahead of schedule. But there is also one problem: In Germany and Italy, the workings on the connections to the NEAT project haven't even begun yet.

As a Swiss I approve this project. Best engineering advertisment for Switzerland in decades to come. Two decades, well analysed, on budget, on time (actually even a bit early as planed twenty years before). The one thing now limiting Swiss transport logistic, is Germany's infrastructure failures at the border.

The fact that it finished on schedule and within budget is the true astonishing fact about this tunnel

Simon: "I'll post the link to that video below." Everyone: "I bet you won't." 😂😂

Besides the fact that it is an engineering masterpiece - not just the tunnel, but the machines that each were larger than some towns - I like the tunnel in that it takes traffic AWAY from the beauty of the Alps; now we can go over the Gotthard Pass without being encumbered by tons of trucks, and enjoy nature along the way. Now people have three choices to travel north-south in the summer - the pass, the traffic tunnel, or the GBT.

Here is a fun fact about Switzerland. Back in the early days of electricity the US sent a sample of the thinist wire made at that time. Switzerland sent it back with a hole drilled down the center. Now that my friends, makes this American smile. Thanks for the show, it's well put together.

Greetings from switzerland and thanks for the video ;)

We need to talk about that opening ceremony...

Literally watching this while on the train passing through that tunnel

I live between Zurich and the northern portal of the GBT so the train I take to get home from Zurich is often the one that goes through to Lugano. Once I took this 9am train home after a night af partying in Zurich, I was far from sober and real tired. Just after leaving Zurich the conductor came by and checked my ticket, it's an anual pass for the whole country. Shortly after he went I fell asleep and woke what I thought was minutes later and we were in a tunnel, I thought it was the tunnel just after Zurich so I stood up and waited by the door so I wouldn't miss my station that'sw just after this tunnel but the tunnel just wasn't ending and after 10 minutes I realised that I had slept through my station and was now under the Alps in the GBT. At first I swore but then we exited the tunnel and wham, blue sky and sunshine. It was late in winter and there had been a lot of high fog cover for months and I had rarely seen the sun since xmas. I got off the train in Belinzona and took a comuter train to Locarno and sat on the shores of Lago Maggiore in beautiful warm early spring weather. I didn't head back home until the sun was setting and when we got back through to the northern side it was back to freezing cold and damp weather. The change in climate through this tunnel can be crazy and I now use it on weekends where the weather is bad here but great down in the south.

Chinese engineers in the 21st century building infrastructure left and right Swiss engineers: *"Hold my beer"*

Another interesting project, tough not on that scale, is the "Ceneri" tunnel (literally "Ashes"), which due to the particular rock under there, had to be digged using explosive, instead of the usual heavy machinery; Another part was the storing of the waste material, part of which is near the entrance of the middle excavation start point: a literal mountain of rocks and stuff, which required a bit of work to blend it in with the environment around the area.

I'm blessed and very proud to have surveyed this tunnel for over 5 years.

Do you think you could do a video on the Nevada-Class Battleships as both ships had interesting careers. One of which USS Nevada tried to escape Pearl Harbor, fought at D-Day , Iwo Jima, and Okinawa, and survived 2 atomic bombs. I would say that's a mega ship. Awesome video.

Whoo thanks for covering this!! So happy my suggestion got through. I love talking to people about this megaproject. thou i gotta add "President of the Confederation" is a bit an inaccurate title for Mr. Schneider-Amman, he's one of 7 heads of state! We don't have one president, we have 7 x'D

Suggestion: do one about the Jungfrau train. Already quite old but MEGA for sure. Highest trainstation in Europe on a glacier.

About a month before it opened I had the incredible chance to go and see the Basis Tunnel. Later I drove through it on a business trip (the tunnel shortened that trip from 3.5 to 2.5 hours, which is awesome. It is interesting how this tunnel has already become part of our daily lives and we don't think a lot about it anymore, just drive through. Rather sad, though.

MERCH!!! I need that shirt!! (Links to it aren't setup yet tho, lol)

Megaproject Suggestion: GPS Satellite Network

Love this tunnel! I took it shortly after it opened and got a weird announcement in the train: “Due to technical difficulties, we’ll be arriving in Bellinzona about 30 min early”. Guess they were still tuning the speed of the trains.

I'm starting to get the idea Simon didn't get the train set he wanted when he was a kid. Every other video here is about trains....

A 35-mile railroad tunnel? I "Gotthard" at the mere thought....

I want everyone to note this is one of the few mega project videos about infrastructure that WASNT full of scandals.... so very Swiss.

The illustration at 4:10 (while Simon is talking about 'a million freight containers a year') is actually the OLD Gotthard road, paved with cobbles, used only by a few tourists and the horse-drawn (also for tourists) 'post-bus' pictured at 1:53. (There's a new road, some in tunnel or snowsheds, up the other side of the valley, and the main low-level road tunnel well below that). But it's a lovely view of the Gotthard.

I've been through this tunnel! I wasn't expecting to go through it and was thinking "this is a really long tunnel!" And then was wondering what the longest tunnel was in the world and saw my route was going through it haha. Such a great modern marvel.

You forgot to mention the most impressive thing about this Tunnel: They actually found enough rock between all the tunnels, fortresses, and bunkers that already exist in the Gotthard mountain to dig a new tunnel through! Seriously, that mountain probably is one of the most "perforated" mountains ever.

I have traveled through that tunnel last September and it was an amazing feeling. And the funny thing is: I had full 4G connection during the whole trip and watched RU-vid videos.

You could do an episode on the Brenner Base Tunnel, another big tunnel project in the Alps that is yet to be completed.

on budget and on time? now we need a side-by-side comparison to "The Big Dig"

as someone who prefers miles, i appreciate to the switch to just saying one unit, while having converted unit shown on screen. saying the distance in two formats was a bit much

A slip of the tongue: the tunnel referendum was in 1992, not 1922. I know Switzerland doesn’t exactly move at the speed of light, but... As for delivery within budget, I seem to recall reading that they had to stop work on the second bore of the Lötschberg base tunnel to shift funds to the Gotthard because of spiralling costs. So only three quarters of the project has actually been delivered. Another detail you might like is that the warm water that drains from the Lötschberg base tunnel aliments a nursery for exotic fruit and veg!

This man is amazing with his attention to detail even saying the current year when talking about construction, so when I undoubtedly watch this video again in the future I won’t have to check the description. Keep up the great work!

The new Ceneri Base Tunnel (CBT) next to GBT is being finalized as we speak and is going into public service in December 2020, completing the NEAT project.

Simon: 'Merch links in the down below!' Also Simon: Doesn't put merch links down below

No mention of that really odd opening ceremony.

Great to listen to a genuine enthusiast with real character and information, thank you.

Amazing, thanks for posting.

This is one of your best projects and reminds me of the last bank I worked for in Melbourne, which managed to waste $7 billion on its Next Gen project, which came to nothing, and of Melbourne's current mad and unplanned tunnel dig, which got half-way before finding it had hit a huge block of toxic soil. Why can't the Swiss come here and solve our problems!!!

Ant the swiss just opened the Ceneri base tunnel, wich is basically an extention to the Gotthard base tunnel in the south

I love these videos. Please, keep them coming!

Great writing, great graphics, this is a good one. Something that focused on the engineering feat required rather than relying on the history of the project itself.

All-in-all a very NEAT project by them Swiss 🇨🇭 See what I did there 😁

On budget and on time... Swiss engineering

Yay! I suggested this one. Thanks Simon! On time AND under budget. Just like the HS2 will be (yeah, right!).

An amazing endeavor!!! Very good video!!! I am simply humbled by the scale of it!!! A stright line is faster from point A to point B... What a time savings as well!!

So they digged a hole trough the entire alps for 12.5B in a few years and Berlins new airport (basicly only a bit of concrete on a flat surface and terminals) cost way over 5B and after 15 years it´s still not finished.....

now an 15 km tunnel in 1882, now that is seriously impressive.

I've brought this up before but, on the topic of tunnels, I think a good topic would be the replacement of the Alaskan Way Viaduct in Seattle. The tunnel that replaced it was bored by the largest tunnel boring machine of its type. But it's not just the tunnel, the whole project involved a lot more than that, such as rebuilding the seawall along the waterfront, and demolishing the viaduct once the tunnel was complete. That last one was a considerable and highly technical undertaking, because the viaduct in some places was only feet away from adjacent buildings. The whole thing is also a classic example of the "The Seattle Method" of planning and executing large public-works projects.

Thanks for all the great research and videos!!!

Imagine if England or America tried building something like this. It would be massively overbudget, would fall apart within a few years, and you can be sure there would be no ceremony for the dead. Switzerland is just on another level.

Simon: "Check the link in the description!" Link in description: *doesn't exist* Must be another day that ends in "Y" 😂

One bit you missed is that they actually started building Porta Alpina, an underground train station meant for regular scheduled use. However, that was abandoned partway through construction, leaving a massive hall and plattforms. Also, because it was abandoned so late, the "Miniatur Wunderland", an H0-scale railway in Germany, actually included it in their model of the tunnel.

Very informative content across all your channels, Thank you for the great work. An idea for projects greening the desert and regenerative farming coupled with holistic management.

4:48 "Sugary Dolomite"! I think I've discovered the secret ingredient in Toblerone.

You missed the fact that Ceneri Base Tunnel, which lies just south of Gotthard Base Tunnel, opened just a week ago on September 3rd.

Excellent video as always Simon Bravo Zulu keep them coming.

I was actually in the tunnel during the construction on a sunday when they weren't working and it was just soo amazing

Yeah, we Swiss people have always been a rather boring company.... Matter of fact, the most exciting thing we do is boring

Attention seekers: The earth is flat! Switzerland: Hold my beer

Avalanche (quite small) left of center in the scene of the Alps (at about 11:37). Great stuff, Simon and the crew!

Thanks for all the good work you do. You might consider starting a miniseries for _Future Megaprojects_ and talk about projects that are, not just concepts, but actually being planned and prepped for construction.

There was a plan to use the emercency Stop/Plattforms and the elevatorhole who was just made to carry out the the trainwaggons full of stone for a real passenger trainstop the Project was called "Porta Alpina". But then was seen as not practical because a stoping train would reduce the numbers of fast trains per day who can get trugh the tunnel. Now in 2020 the traffic was not so high like expected an the Idea of "Porta Alpina" is again a option... Also the St.Gotthard mountain is in some way like a swiss chees ..full of hole.. The old Train tunnel, the new train tunels, the Higwaytunnel, soon the second highway tunnel. A old WW2 Fortress (today a undergound hotel), a old WW" artillerie fortress (today Museum Saso Gotthardo), some military "Parking" for Vehicles like trucks and so one, Military storage , a full equiped military hospital and a Command&Controll center.

You know the Australian is up too late when they get to watch the video within 1 minute of it being published...

Brilliant video

Yay! Another hole in the ground! I love these videos! :D

I went on that tunnel back in January (2020)... _feels extremely weird talking about a holiday pre-Lockdown; but such a world did exist and it was awesome!_ You don't see much of the tunnel while inside, so I couldn't tell you how awesome or otherwise it was. But it is amazing the many ways the Swiss have found to cope with their extreme terrain and weather.

Mega Project suggestion: Western Deep Levels - deepest mine in the world.

WOW, not even a swiss could have explained it better 👏 very nice 👍

Well done video. Thanks a lot. Honestly...as a Swiss citizen makes me feel a little bit proud! :-)

Do The Everglades! So many crazy large projects rolled in one.

"We can't move mountains but we can go straight through them" *Atomic Demolition Charge* hold my beer

Hell of an achievement! The original Gotthard Pass railway was an astonishing megaproject itself, not the least of which are its 5 spiral tunnels.

Yesss!! Finally!! THANK YOU!!!

Could you talk about the "Grande Dixence" dam too?

I was one of the lucky people to be able to visit the tunnel during its inauguration. Most unreal experience of my life!

What a wonderful video.

I use the Gottard road tunnel often and I am looking forward to using the train tunnel. Looking forward to the new road tunnel as well.

You should do an episode on TBMs in general.

12:25 Actually we probably could completely remove them, it would just cost a few trillion $ per mountain and no one wants to fund that.

Even better than I expected! Also, the name is pretty cool :-) great video!

kinda blaze themed, personalty switch turned on, really enjoyed this one, "smashed that Like logic symbol"

imagine being the guy who was just like "so we got this annoying ass mountain and were gonna just brute force our way through the core of the mountain? kapiche?"

The opening "ceremony" for this tunnel, tells me "never go in this tunnel"!

Thank you for this Video =)

Love the new Megaprojects shirt designs. That SR-12 one looks very badass.

Do a video about Seikan tunnel, its probably equals the awesomeness of this.

We should make the Switzerland the Saint of engineering and steal their secrets for finishing on budget and time.

My suggestion: the Zuiderzee Works, one of (if not fully) the largest hydraulic engineering projects in history.

That outro was great!

Nice to hear about it in English for a change! Proud to be Swiss and British. Nice video Simon. FYI Faido is pronounced Fy - eedo. I was very impressed about the new through rail terminal in Zurich. Although smaller than the Gotthard Base Tunnel they did some cool tricks like divert a river underground while drilling the tunnels. There was a stunning exhibition shortly before it opened. All the best, Rob

Was great to be able to drive 10km with a bike in the tunnel when there was no rails.

So very interesting New subscriber from Michigan, USA Looking forward to watching your other videos Peace be with you!

I used to work for the SBB (Swiss railway) and our dept. was responsible for the daily operations of the telecom eqpt down there. Had to chance to visit the tunnels and their 'Querstollen' (adjoining passageways) before it was all opened for traffic. Very impressive but not exactly low maintenance 😉