Tunnels are real architectural wonders that have evolved and improved since ancient times. The tunnels probably originate from the caves that ancient people used as dwellings. Looking to the future, to a more civilized period, one can see that the tunnels are used as secret passages, usually underground. They were used for shelter from enemies. In our days, tunnels are being built for completely different purposes. In this collection I will tell you about the longest tunnels in the world and their purpose.
1. So, the longest tunnel in the world at the moment is in Japan. This railway tunnel is 53, 850 meters long. Just imagine how many days it will take to travel on foot before you reach the other side. 
The Seikan Tunnel is also the longest underwater tunnel in the world. After World War II, Japan felt the need to connect the islands of Hokkaido and Honshu, so that the country would be geographically unified. From its planning in 1946 to its official opening on March 13, 1988, it took more than 40 years to complete. The construction cost a lot of money:? 538.4 billion, equivalent to $ 3.6 billion 
Today, unfortunately, Seikan is not used as often as it used to be because air travel is both faster and cheaper. However, this structure was one of the main reasons that Japan is strong and united to this day. It is worth mentioning that this tunnel will remain the longest until 2016, when the Gotthard Base Tunnel is built in Switzerland. 
2. The Channel Tunnel, or the longest international tunnel in the world, connects the United Kingdom and France with a 50,500 meter passage. The tunnel connects the cities of Folkestone in the UK and Calais in France. The tunnel also boasts the world's largest car transport train called the Eurotunnel Shuttle. 
The construction of the Channel Tunnel has been frozen for nearly two hundred years since 1802, due to constant hesitation from the British and political instability. Ultimately, in 1988, construction began and ended fairly quickly in 1994. The Channel Tunnel was also one of the candidates for the Seven New Wonders of the World. Undoubtedly, this great structure played a key role in the unification of Britain with the mainland, although from a material point of view, it still remains unprofitable. 
3. Compared to other tunnels Lötschberg tunnel (L? Tschberg) is still quite young, it was completed in 2006, and officially opened in June 2007. The Lötschberg Tunnel, the longest inland tunnel in the world, is 34,700 meters long. The tunnel runs between the Swiss cantons of Bern and Valais and is used by freight and passenger trains. Thanks to the latest technology the tunnel was built very quickly, in less than two years. More than 20,000 Swiss use it every week to get to the Welsh thermal spas by the shortest route. Thanks to L? Tschberg, traffic in this region has been significantly reduced, as in the past, trucks had to bypass Switzerland to get from Bern to Valais. I wonder what the warmth is from groundwater from the tunnel heats the Tropenhaus Frutigen greenhouse, where tropical fruits are grown 
4. in Norway - the longest road tunnel in the world, its length is as much as 24,000 meters, located in the county of Sogn og Fjordane. Until 1999, the Swiss Gotthard Road Tunnel was the longest road tunnel until Laerdal was built in 2000 
The Lardal tunnel has been designed according to modern standards. Unlike most tunnels, Laerdal is divided into four sections, each with special lighting. The lighting effect mimics natural light at dawn and dusk. Also on the positive side, there is no need to pay any money for travel.
Driving through the tunnels is always perceived in a special way, very exciting - you see how the headlights pick up images and road signs, how the air makes noise during a fast ride and with special joy you perceive the light at the end of the tunnel. We told you about the four longest tunnels in the world, we wish you to drive through each of them and get an unforgettable experience. 
did not philosophize slyly and simply asked in: It would be interesting to read about tunnels, railways and others. The longest, the most difficult, etc. Norway, Switzerland, other countries ... in China, they seem to be building very impressive tunnels now.
To begin with, remember, well, now let's get down to the records. And we will start with the longest tunnel.
On the border between Switzerland and Italy, the construction of the Gotthard railway tunnel is being completed. It is the Gotthard-Basistunnel (GBT, Gotthard-Basistunnel) that will connect Switzerland and Italy, and will also become the longest and deepest tunnel in the world. The southern portal is located near the village of Bodio, and the northern portal is near the village of Erstfed. It was created for rail links across the Alps.
Today, the longest underground route is the Japanese Seikan tunnel, which connects the islands of Honshu and Hokkaido. Its length, excluding aqueducts, is 53.6 kilometers. Its other famous sibling, which ranks second, is the Eurotunnel between England and France, its length is about 51 km.
Upon completion of work on the Gotthard Tunnel, the length of this handsome man will be 57 kilometers, and taking into account the service and pedestrian passages - 153.4 km. And then it will become the most-most tunnel in the world.
The tunnel consists of two parallel underground highways for two-way traffic, connected by galleries every 325 m, along which trains will follow in opposite directions. Inside the tunnel there will be two emergency railway stations connected to the surface by emergency mines.
In general, the idea of \u200b\u200bbuilding such a tunnel was proposed by the government back in 1947, but the first construction option was prepared only in 1962. but the main problem the structure has become - which tunnel to choose, a single one with two single-track or still two separate single-track? However, the decision on this issue was delayed for an extremely long time and was finally made in 1998, when an additional tax on heavy transport was introduced in the country.
Clickable
But in fact, the first exploration work began much earlier, back in 1993, and the main ones only in 2001. In total, about 3,500 workers were hired, which includes not only builders, but also geologists, engineers and planners. The work was carried out continuously for seven days a week and 24 hours a day. For tunneling in rocks, both several tunnel boring complexes and drilling and blasting operations were used. The tunnel has two common "trunks", under which trains will follow in both directions. There are two railway stations along the route, where you can also change the train. By the way, the total construction costs are just over $ 10 billion.
Regular traffic through the tunnel will open in 2016. Experts say that the most advanced technologies are used in the construction, special drilling rigs with a disc of 10 meters in diameter began to work from opposite sides. On October 15, 2010, under the gun of all world television companies, the last 3 meters of rock collapsed - the tunnel was completely laid.
And now I will tell you about the longest water tunnel. For some reason, he is in first place in Wikipedia for the longest tunnels. The longest aqueduct tunnel is located in England, it began to be built in the 18th century, and now its length is 154,000 meters - this is the Thirlmere aqueduct
It was built from 1890 to 1925
Thirlmere Dam Raven_Crag
IN recent times so it is that the word "most" is increasingly used in relation to China - the most populous country, the fastest growing economy, one of the most ancient civilizations on Earth. Unsurprisingly, the world's widest tunnel was also built in China. The opening of the world's widest tunnel took place on October 31, 2009.
This tunnel, which runs along the bottom of the Yangtze River and connects Shanghai with Chongmindao Island, is part of a twenty-five and a half kilometers long tunnel and bridge project with a budget of 12.6 billion yuan ($ 1.84 billion).
The inner diameter of this tunnel structure is 13.7 meters, the length is 8900 meters. During the construction of the tunnel by Shanghai Tunnel Engineering Co. a drilling rig with a diameter of 15.43 meters was used, which is also an absolute world record.
The road from Shanghai to Chongmindao Island through a tunnel through which the railway line and six-lane highway pass will take just over twenty minutes.
Chongmindao Island is located at the mouth of the Yangtze River and covers an area of \u200b\u200b1200 square kilometers, which is equal to 20 percent of the total area of \u200b\u200bthe Shanghai region.
Due to the weak transport interchange, the development of the region was hampered, its share in the total GDP of Shanghai was only one and a half percent.
The Chinese authorities plan to turn Chongmindao into an example of a modern territorial unit with a developed infrastructure and meeting all environmental requirements. The new transport system is also expected to help attract additional investment to the region.
And here are some more unusual tunnels: The Tower Tunnel, JapanOne of the most interesting buildings in Japan is the Gate Tower in Osaka, Japan. This building is the result of a rare compromise between the landowner and the Japanese government.
The 6th, 7th and 8th floors of this 16-storey office building are accessed by an expressway - right through the building. On the first floor, the floor information says that the 6th-8th floor is “leased by the Hanshin Expressway”. The tunnel is not connected to the building in any way. It rests on special supports and is enclosed in a special structure that helps protect the building from noise and vibration.
Here's another interesting sample:
Tunnel Log, California, USA
Tunnel Log - The "Tunnel-Log" is a tunnel that was cut in a giant fallen sequoia in National Park Sequoia, California, USA. The tree, which is 84 meters high and 6.4 meters in diameter, fell in 1937 for natural reasons and blocked the road. The following year, park staff carved a tunnel 2.4 meters (8 feet) high and 5.2 meters (17 feet) wide in the tree, making the road a gateway again.
Well, China again:
One of the most unusual roads in the world is the Golian Tunnel, which is located high in the mountains of Henan province in China.
This tunnel is only a few decades old, but during this time Golian has become one of the most famous highways and all thanks to its unusual location and amazing design! The fact is that the Golian Tunnel is laid in the rock and is a bizarre cave more than a kilometer long!
Read on. We have already discussed this.
Now let's take a look at the deepest tunnel in the world:
Turkey has successfully tested a recently completed railway tunnel under the Bosphorus Strait, connecting the European and Asian parts of Istanbul, Reuters reports. Its length is 13.6 km, maximum depth is 56 m. Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan launched the first test train through the tunnel in August 2013.
The end of the construction of the tunnel has been postponed many times, now its official launch is scheduled for October 29 - the anniversary of the founding of modern Turkey. This tunnel will be the first mega-project to be completed in Istanbul.
The tunnel is part of a larger $ 5 billion Marmaray project that includes upgrades to the existing commuter rail system. According to the government's plans, 1.5 million people will use the 76 km long lines every day.
Meanwhile, the interval of train traffic under the Bosphorus will be 2 minutes, and the capacity of the tunnel will reach 75 thousand passengers per day.
The construction of the tunnel began in 2004. a Japanese-Turkish consortium, financed by the Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC) and the European Investment Bank (EIB).
Note that the construction of this tunnel was initially an extremely difficult project from a geological point of view, since the strait is located in a seismically active zone.
The highest car tunnel:
In the Sichuan province in the southwest of the PRC, construction of a tunnel through Mount Trola has begun. This structure is part of the Sichuan-Tibet highway complex. The tunnel will become the highest in the world, as it will be located at 4240-4380 m above sea level.
Currently, the construction of an entrance to the tunnel with a length of 14.06 km is in full swing. This facility is located in the east of Mount Trola. The length of the tunnel itself will be 7 km. The construction of this road section will be completed in four years. Investment in the project is estimated at 1.12 billion yuan ($ 172 million). After putting the tunnel into operation, the travel time through Mount Trola will be reduced by at least 2 hours - to just over 10 minutes.
Recall that the construction of a road from Sichuan to Tibet with a length of 2,415 km has become the most difficult in the world. The road crosses 12 rivers and 14 mountains at an altitude of 4000-5000 m above sea level.
2011 to 2015 the Chinese authorities will allocate $ 954 billion to develop the country's transport infrastructure. Most of the allocated funds will be spent on the construction of new highways, including high-speed ones. Thus, in the next five years, 108,000 km of expressways will be built in China. By the end of 2015, they will unite more than 90% of all cities in the country with a population of over 200,000 people. At present, the total length of highways in the Celestial Empire exceeds 3.9 million km.
Oh, yes, I completely forgot, and what is the longest car tunnel in the world?
The Lerdal Tunnel is a road tunnel that connects the cities of Lerdal and Aurland and is part of the E16 road between Oslo and Bergen. The 24.5 km long tunnel is the longest road tunnel in the world.
The construction cost 120 million euros. Opened on November 27, 2000 by King Harald the Fifth of Norway.
Such natural conditions in Norway, the mountainous terrain, the risk of rockfalls, the northern climate, and the many fjords make it difficult for reliable road connections. In addition, ferry transport, widespread in this country, cannot always provide reliable year-round communication. Therefore, in Norway, in the last 20 years, the emphasis in transport construction has been on the construction of bridges and the laying of tunnels (the world's deepest road transport tunnel, Eiksund, is also in Norway). The construction of the tunnel was carried out from 1995 to 2000.
The tunnel is divided into four sections with special grottoes.
These grottoes are used for turning cars, including road trains, and a place to stop for rest.
Designer lighting of the grottoes, as well as the arrangement of the track, make the trip through the tunnel not so monotonous and "boring", the duration of the trip through the tunnel is about 20 minutes.
A large number of security measures are applied in the tunnel. Emergency telephones are installed every 250 meters along the route, fire extinguishers are located every 125 meters, in addition to 3 grottoes, 15 more turning points have been made.
In the Ledardal Tunnel, for the first time in the world, in addition to air ventilation, air purification facilities are used.
The tunnel has an average traffic of about 1000 vehicles per day, and is also free of charge. The mountains, through which the tunnel passes, reach a height of 1600 meters.
The trip through the tunnel, thanks to thoughtful safety measures, does not seem boring, monotonous, and does not lull the drivers. Half an hour passes - and after the stone rough monochromatic walls the beautiful landscapes of central Norway in all their harsh beauty appear.
Lerdal is famous for the Salmon Center, an old street with houses of the 17-18th century and the equally famous Borgund Stave Church (30 km away), which was built in 1180 (!!!) and has been perfectly preserved to this day.
The local information center provides comprehensive information on bus timetables to the church, and suggestions for hotels and guesthouses. It is not very clear what Lerdal is by local standards - a city or a large village, but it is very, very cozy there. You can go around the town by bike in just 5 minutes, or just walk around the town-village.
Reference: Is the Lerdal Tunnel really the longest road tunnel in the world? At first I don't want to believe this, but the statistics and figures convince:
So, the top 10 longest tunnels in the world:
1. Gotthard Base Tunnel 57.00 km
The largest tunnel under construction in the history of Europe, the planned length is 57 km, the construction will be the longest railway tunnel in the world. The project is scheduled for completion in 2015
2. Seikan 53.90 km (Japan) - is for today
the longest railway a tunnel connecting the islands of Honshu and Hokkaido. The tunnel opened to traffic on March 13, 1988. Has the titles Longest Railway Tunnel and Longest Underwater Tunnel.
3. Eurotunnel 49.94 km, laid under the English Channel between Folkestone (Kent, UK) and Calais (France). Despite the fact that this tunnel is inferior in total length to the Seikan tunnel, its underwater section (about 39 km) is 14.7 km longer than the underwater section of the Seikan railway tunnel. The Channel Tunnel was officially opened in 1994.
4. Lötschberg 34.70 km - the longest overland tunnel on the Bern - Milan line, located in Switzerland. Its length is 34 kilometers. It connects the Bern and Interlaken area with the Brig and Zermatt area.
5. Guadarrama Tunnel 28.37 km - a railway tunnel in Spain, connecting Madrid and Valladolid with a high-speed route. The tunnel opened in December 2007. Has the title of the longest tunnel in Spain.
6. Iwate-Ichinohe Tunnel 25.81 km is an underground railway tunnel in Japan linking Tokyo and Aomori. The tunnel opened in 2002 and at the opening had the title of the longest underground railway tunnel.
7. Hakkoda 26.5 km - the longest overland Hakkoda tunnel is located in Japan, the length of the railway section is 26.5 kilometers.
8. Lerdal Tunnel 24.50 km
9. Daishimizu Tunnel 22.20 km - Railroad tunnel in Japan, connecting Niigata and Tokyo. During the construction of the tunnel, fire and smoke occurred, which claimed the lives of 16 workers.
10. Wushaoling Tunnel 21.05 km
A double railway tunnel in Gansu province in northwest China. Has the title of the longest railway tunnel in China
The longest railway tunnel in Russia is the Severo-Muisky Tunnel, with a length of 15.3 km.
The longest tunnel of the future is the Japanese-Korean tunnel with a length of 187 kilometers, which will connect Japan and South Korea, negotiations on its construction have been going on for a long time.
In Moscow, the Lefortovo tunnel is the leader in length. It runs in the southeastern part of Moscow and is part of the third transport ring. The longest tunnel in Moscow has a length of 3,246 kilometers; it is also one of the largest tunnels in Europe. The tunnel is located under the Yauza River and Lefortovo Park. There are seven lanes of traffic in the Lefotovsky tunnel (three lanes to the north and four lanes to the south).
Each strip is three and a half meters wide. The Lefortovo tunnel is a deep tunnel (up to 30 meters), this depth is dictated by the need for noise and vibration absorption of a large traffic flow.
On average, about 3,500 vehicles pass through this tunnel per hour, and it copes with this intensity perfectly. But, during peak hours, the flow increases to seven to eight thousand, which is the cause of frequent accidents, including those with human casualties. According to statistics, this tunnel is one of the most dangerous road sections in Moscow in terms of the number of accidents, in this regard, it received an impartial nickname - "tunnel of death".
The reason for such a high danger lies in a banal violation of traffic rules related to speed limits and ignoring the solid dividing line between traffic lanes, which excludes rebuilding from row to row. The maximum permitted speed in the tunnel is 60 km per hour, but the "record" for speeding is 236 km per hour.
The link to the article this copy was made from isImage copyright AFP Image caption This photo was taken on October 15, 2010. Workers stand at a huge tunnel shield, with the help of which the tunnel was built
The world's longest and deepest Gotthard railway tunnel opens in Switzerland today. It took almost 20 years and more than $ 12 billion to build it.
Its permanent operation will begin in December.
Swiss authorities say the tunnel will revolutionize the transport of goods in Europe. Goods, which are now transported by millions of trucks every year, will be transported by rail.
This technological miracle will provide faster and easier connections between southern and northern Europe. The tunnel will speed up the movement of goods and people and reduce pollution environment exhaust gases from cars.
The Swiss authorities predict that 260 freight trains will be able to pass through the tunnel per day. 20 million passengers a year will be able to use the new highway. Travel time from Zurich to Milan will be reduced to 2 hours 50 minutes.
Conquering the Alps as part of self-identification
Until now, the Japanese Seikan, 53.9 km long, with an underwater fragment of 23.3 km, was considered the world's longest railway tunnel.
Image copyright Reuters Image caption The Gotthard Tunnel runs under the Alps - the maximum height of the mountains above the tunnel is 2300 metersThe Gotthard Tunnel is also ahead of the length of the Channel Tunnel, which is 50.5 km long.
It is not only the longest tunnel in the world, it is also the deepest railway tunnel in existence: the maximum height of the mountains above the tunnel is 2300 meters. Without a powerful ventilation system, the temperature in it would reach +40 degrees.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President François Hollande will be present at the opening ceremony of the tunnel in Switzerland along with Swiss officials.
"This is part of the Swiss identity," Reuters quoted Peter Fueglistaler, head of the Swiss Federal Department of Transport, as quoted by Reuters.
“For us, conquering the Alps is like exploring the oceans for the Dutch,” he said.
Tunnel cost: $ 12 billion and 9 lives
The project, which cost more than $ 12 billion to build, was approved by the Swiss in a 1992 referendum.
Image copyright EPA Image caption 20 million passengers a year will be able to use the new highwayDuring the construction of the tunnel, engineers excavated 73 different types of rocks: some were as hard as granite, others as soft as sugar. Nine workers died during construction.
Completed on time and on budget, the Gotthard Tunnel will become the main railway linking Rotterdam in the Netherlands with italian Genoa... The tunnel, consisting of two parallel tunnels, runs from the municipality of Bodio in southern Switzerland to the municipality of Erstfeld in the center of the country.
From December, when permanent operation of the tunnel begins, the journey from Zurich to Milan will take two hours and forty minutes - an hour less than usual.
The money to finance the project was taken from budget revenues from fuel and value added taxes, and another part of the funds was a government loan, which must be paid over 10 years.
Representatives of the Swiss bank Credit Suisse said that among the economic benefits of the Gotthard Tunnel are simplified transportation of goods and an influx of tourists.
To be honest, I have never visited very long road or rail tunnels, but I remember well the feeling of driving under the Thames to Dartford Crossing. This is a large intersection in London, in one direction, cars go along the Queen Elizabeth II bridge, and in the opposite direction, along two car tunnels, it is difficult to imagine movement along a 24 km tunnel.
So, the top 10 longest tunnels in the world
1 Gotthard Base Tunnel 57.00 km
The largest tunnel under construction in the history of Europe, the planned length of 57 km, the construction will be the longest railway tunnel in the world. The project is scheduled for completion in 2015.
2 Seikan 53.90 km
The longest today is the Japanese Seikan tunnel, which connects the islands of Honshu and Hokkaido. The tunnel was opened to traffic on March 13, 1988. Has the titles of the longest railway tunnel and the longest underwater tunnel.
3 Eurotunnel 49.94 km
Eurotunnel under the English Channel between Folkestone (Kent, UK) and Calais (France). Despite the fact that this tunnel is inferior in total length to the Seikan tunnel, its underwater section (about 39 km) is 14.7 km longer than the underwater section of the Seikan railway tunnel. The Channel Tunnel was officially opened in 1994.
4 Lötschberg 34.70 km
The longest overland tunnel is Lötschberg on the Bern-Milan line, which is located in Switzerland. Its length is 34 kilometers. It connects the Bern and Interlaken area with the Brig and Zermatt area.
Railway tunnel in Spain, connecting Madrid and Valladolid with a high-speed route. The tunnel was opened in December 2007. Has the title of the longest tunnel in Spain.
6 Iwate-Ichinohe Tunnel 25.81 km
An underground railway tunnel in Japan linking Tokyo and Aomori. The tunnel opened in 2002 and at the opening had the title of the longest underground railway tunnel.
7 Hakkoda 26.5 km
The longest overland Hakkoda tunnel is located in Japan - the length of the railway section is 26.5 kilometers.
8 Lerdal Tunnel 24.50 km
The longest road tunnel connecting the municipalities of Lerdal and Aurland in Norway is 24.5 kilometers long. Opened in 2000.
9 Daishimizu Tunnel 22.20 km
A railway tunnel in Japan connecting Niigata and Tokyo. During the construction of the tunnel, fire and smoke broke out, which claimed the lives of 16 workers.
10 Wushaoling Tunnel 21.05 km
A double railway tunnel in Gansu province in northwest China. Has the title of the longest railway tunnel in China
The longest railway tunnel in Russia is the Severo-Muisky Tunnel, with a length of 15.3 km.
The longest tunnel of the future is the Japanese-Korean tunnel with a length of 187 kilometers, which will connect Japan and South Korea, negotiations on its construction have been going on for a long time.
Longest and longest deep tunnel in the world under the Swiss Alps has finally opened! To celebrate this event, in this article we will take a look at the longest railway tunnels in the world.
So let's go!
10. Gumzungle Tunnel, South Korea - 20.3 km
(Geumjeong Tunnel)
Gumzangl is the tenth longest railway tunnel in the world. It is part of the Seoul-Busan High Speed \u200b\u200bRailroad. A tunnel buried in the mountains connects the Nopo area with the 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.
The 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. Wushaolin Tunnel, China - 21.05 km
(Wushaoling Tunnel)
Wushaolin, 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 Wushaolin Mountains. After the commissioning of the tunnel, the road between Lanzhou and Urumqi was reduced by 30.4 km and became fully double-tracked.
The tunnel consists of two parallel lines, laid at a distance of 40 meters from each other. The portal from 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 method of tunneling was used, the tunnel equipment allows trains to pass at a speed of up to 160 km / h. The eastern line of the Wushaolin 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
Railway tunnel on the J высокetsu Shinkansen high-speed line on the border of Gunma and Niigata prefectures.
In 1978, the construction of the Dai-Shimizu tunnel was completed. This tunnel was dug specifically for the Joetsu Shinkansen Line, which was due to be completed in 1982. This tunnel was the longest tunnel in the world. During construction, a fire broke out in the tunnel, as a result of which a very strong smoke was formed - 16 workers died from carbon monoxide poisoning. The Daismizu Tunnel reduced the travel time between Niigata and Tokyo to about one hour and forty minutes, which is three hours faster on the regular Joetsu line.
In addition, during the construction of the tunnel, drinking natural mineral water was discovered, which is still sold in bottles.
24 km
(Wienerwald Tunnel)
Wienerwald Tunnel, Austria. Photo: Linie29 / Wikimedia Commons A 13.35-kilometer railway tunnel near Vienna, which has been in operation since December 9, 2012, and runs under the northern part of the Wienerwald between Gablitz and Mauerbach. This section of the new section with a speed of up to 250 kilometers per hour between Vienna and St. Pölten is part of the Austrian Western Railway.
The Vienna-Sankt Pölten section, the current four-way and largest rail corridor in Westbahn, received two new high-speed arms extending far north of the original line. The largest superstructure is the tunnel that crosses the Wienerwald mountains.
11 km from the western portal of the Wienerwald tunnel, a two-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 one-pipe section began in autumn 2004 with blasting and drilling. The drilling of the tunnel 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 to a 2.2 km long tunnel with two additional lines for the old Westbahn (which has been in operation since December 2008) and the Lainzer Tunnel - 11.73 km single-tube double-track tunnel, which opened in 2012). The eastern portal of the Leinzer Tunnel forks into two portals. A total of 24 km of Wienerwald and the Leinzer Tunnel allow travelers on Westbahn to visit Vienna's new main train station. This tunnel is the longest tunnel in Austria.
6. Iwate-Ichinohe Tunnel, Japan - 25,810 km
(Iwate-Ichinohe Tunnel)
The Iwate-Ichinohe Japanese land-based railway tunnel is part of the Tohoku-shinkansen line linking Tokyo to Aomori. At the time of its opening in 2002, it was the longest ground tunnel in the world, but 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 to function when the railway opened in 2002. The maximum depth is about 200 m.
The tunnel passes through hilly terrain near the Kitakami and Ou Mountains. The Mabuchi and Kitakami rivers are located near the tunnel port of Tokyo.
Iwate-Ichinohe is a horseshoe-shaped single-tube double-track 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 about 22 km and then descends with a 1% gradient to Aomori Port. During its construction was used new method Austrian Tunneling 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 prefecture of Aomori. It stretches across the Hakkoda ridge and connects the village of Tenmabayashi with the city of Aomori.
The Hakkoda Tunnel is part of the northern Tohoku Shinkansen Line and is located between Shichino Budawa and Shin Aomori stations. Preliminary work on the creation of the tunnel began in August 1998. On February 27, 2005, it surpassed the Iwate-Ichinoe tunnel of the same Tohoku-shinkansen line, and became the world's longest ground tunnel. Just two months later, this title was taken away from him by the Swiss Lötschberg Tunnel, which lost this title thanks to the Gotthard Base Tunnel, which opened in 2016. However, the Lötschberg Tunnel is largely single-track and the Gotthard Base Tunnel is double-track, which is why it remains the longest double-track single-tube surface railroad tunnel in the world.
The tunnel began operating in 2010.
4. New Tunnel of Guan Jiao, China - 32.645 km
(New Guanjiao Tunnel)
Guan Jiao New Tunnel, China. Photo: Wikimedia Commons This double-tube railway tunnel is located on the 2nd line of the Qinghai-Tibet Railway in the Guan Jiao Mountains, Qinghai Province. The total length of the tunnel is 32,645 km (20,285 miles), making it the longest railway tunnel in China.
The China Railway First Survey and Design Institute was responsible for the tunnel design. The new Guan Jiao Tunnel was designed for two parallel single-track tunnels with speeds 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 altitudes, exceeding 3,300 meters (10,800 feet) above sea level. Its construction work 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 in Tianjun County, the southwest portal (37.0094 ° N 98.8805 ° E) is in Ulan County.
3. Eurotunnel / Channel Tunnel, UK-France - 50 km
(Channel Tunnel)
Eurotunnel, UK-France. Photo: 4plebs.org Connecting the UK with 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 lay a tunnel under the English Channel. His plans included the creation of an artificial island in the middle of the canal, where horse-drawn carriages could stop for maintenance.
“This is a megaproject. He radically changed the geography of Europe and helped to strengthen the high-speed railroad as a viable alternative to short-haul flights, ”said Matt Sykes, tunnel expert and director of engineering company Arup.
Interesting fact : Despite the fact that both the British and the French began to work on the creation of the tunnel, 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) stretch lies 140 meters (460 feet) below sea level. Until the Gotthard Base Tunnel appeared, Seikan was the longest and deepest railway tunnel in the world.
It covers the Tsugaru Strait, connecting Aomori Prefecture on Honshu Island with Hokkaido Island. Work on the tunnel began in 1964 and was completed in 1988.
Interesting fact: In 1976, construction workers stumbled upon a patch of soft rock, causing water to flow into the tunnel at a rate of 80 tons per minute. The leak was neutralized only two months later.
56 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 François Hollande, attended the grand opening ceremony of the Gotthard Base Tunnel in June 2016, during which colorful surreal scenes were shown with costumed dancers, songs and fireworks.
Located at a depth of 2,300 meters (7,545 feet, nearly 1.5 miles), the tunnel cuts travel time between Zurich, Switzerland and Milan by an hour.
The 57 km long tunnel runs between 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 it in 20 minutes.
The commercial operation of the tunnel began on December 11. On that 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 world's longest railway tunnel from the 53.9-kilometer North Japanese Seikan Tunnel and pushed the 50.5-kilometer tunnel between the UK and France into third place.
Interesting fact: during the construction of the tunnel, 3200 kilometers of copper cable were used, the length of which would be enough from Madrid to Moscow.