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Gotthard Base Tunnel

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Re: Gotthard Base Tunnel

#3

Post by DiabloD3 »

I remember when they started this project. This is seriously maybe the greatest work of engineering on Earth.

Now only if the US can match this and finally get that bullet train network up and running...

Re: Gotthard Base Tunnel

#4

Post by abduhl »

DiabloD3 wrote: post #3

I remember when they started this project. This is seriously maybe the greatest work of engineering on Earth. Now only if the US can match this and finally get that bullet train network up and running...

Why is this "seriously maybe the greatest work of engineering on Earth"?

It looks like straight forward rock tunneling to me. The alps have good rock that the industry has a lot of experience mining through. Don't get me wrong, the length is impressive but the diameter (10m) is not crazy nor is the ground bad.

Re: Gotthard Base Tunnel

#5

Post by SeoxyS »

abduhl wrote: post #4
DiabloD3 wrote: post #3

I remember when they started this project. This is seriously maybe the greatest work of engineering on Earth. Now only if the US can match this and finally get that bullet train network up and running...

Why is this "seriously maybe the greatest work of engineering on Earth"? It looks like straight forward rock tunneling to me. The alps have good rock that the industry has a lot of experience mining through. Don't get me wrong, the length is impressive but the diameter (10m) is not crazy nor is the ground bad.

What makes this project incredible is how it is dug at the base of the mountain, instead of higher up. That makes it the deepest tunnel, dug under 2,500m of rock at its max. When you have almost two miles of mountain weighing down on you… pressure is intense. The rock has different compositions along the way, some parts have to be dug with boring machines, some parts with explosives.

The project has been in construction for 20 years. For comparison: the Golden Gate Bridge took 4 years. The Hoover Dam, 5 years. The Burj Khalifa, 5 years.

Re: Gotthard Base Tunnel

#7

Post by dgorges »

Gotthard Tunnel

The Gotthard Base Tunnel (GBT) is a railway tunnel through the Alps in Switzerland expected to open on 2 June 2016.

- Length: 35.4 mi

- Cost: $10.3 billion

- Construction: 1996 - 2016 (est)

Bay Bridge

The San Francisco–Oakland Bay Bridge (known locally as the Bay Bridge) is a complex of bridges spanning San Francisco Bay in California.

- Length: 4.46 miles

- Cost: $6.5 billion

- Construction: 2002 - 2013 (est)

Re: Gotthard Base Tunnel

#8

Post by jessriedel »

legulere wrote: post #6

> it will be the world's longest and deepest traffic tunnel yet the linked list of the worlds longest tunnels lists two longer metro tunnels in china

Hmm. Maybe they're drawing a distinction between metro/subway and normal (freight) trains?

Re: Gotthard Base Tunnel

#9

Post by ohitsdom »

I think self-driving vehicles will make projects like this even rarer. The two benefits this project achieves are:

1. Safer travel on rails instead of trucks (accidents & environmental)

2. Faster transport between regions (saving 1 - 1.5 hrs)

Safety will become almost a non-concern with self driving cars. Work still needs to be done to minimize environmental impact, but electric cars are coming on strong.

Faster transport times will be a tougher sell when we are actually free to be productive when traveling. With an automated driving system, vehicles become offices/lounges.

Self driving cars don't completely address these concerns, but they make the $10 billion price tag hard to justify. I'm not saying this project isn't justified, I just love examining the impact self-operating vehicles will have on our future.

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