A passenger train enters the south portal of the Gotthard rail tunnel between Erstfeld and Pollegio, in Pollegio, Switzerland, Sunday, Dec. 11, 2016. The construction of the 57-kilometer long tunnel began in 1999, the breakthrough was in 2010. After the official opening on June 1, the commercial operation started on Sunday. AP
FRANKFURT, Germany — Switzerland’s national rail company SBB has started regular service through the Gotthard Base Tunnel, the world’s longest railway tunnel.
The first trains ran from Zurich to Lugano on Sunday, SBB said in a statement and YouTube video.
READ: Swiss inaugurate $12 billion rail tunnel, world’s longest
The 35.4-mile (57-kilometer) tunnel can save 30 minutes travel time. It also increases capacity for freight trains as well and relieves the burden on roads by shifting the flow of freight over the Alps from truck to rail.
It took 17 years to build and cost $12 billion. There was a formal inauguration in June with VIPs.
The Gotthard tunnel pushes Japan’s 33.5-mile (53.9-kilometer) Seikan tunnel into second place. Third-longest is the 31.4-mile (50.5-kilometer) Channel tunnel connecting Britain and France. CBB