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UPDATE: The Gotthard Base Tunnel reopens one side; trains are running again [1]

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Date: 2023-08-23  

I previously wrote up the consequences of a serious derailment in a major European rail link. The latest news is that one of the two tunnels of the Gotthard Base Tunnel has now been reopened to freight traffic. Passenger trains continue to be routed over other tracks.

Via TRAINS magazine:

The east tube of the Gotthard Base Tunnel has been reopened for freight traffic and is available for almost 100 trains per day, Swiss Federal Railways (SBB) reports. With that route now handling freight traffic that had been rerouted over the Gotthard Pass panorama route, improved passenger service over the panoramic route is planned as of Thursday, Aug. 24… ...Current plans for operation of the east tube call for four freight trains to operate in one direction, after which four freight trains will move in the opposite direction. This will allow almost 100 freight trains to use the base tunnel per day, while about 30 will continue to be rerouted via the panorama route. The total of 130 trains compares to an average of about 120 that used the base tunnel on weekdays in fall 2022. Some trains will continue to be rerouted via the Lötschberg-Simplon route, however.

The other tunnel is not expected to be restored to full service until some time in early 2024. According to the TRAINS report. when a wheel broke on a freight car it damaged about 5 miles of track, the underlying roadbed structures, and parts of a crossover. Replacing the 20,000 damaged concrete sleepers alone will take time because only one company produces them and they need to cure for a month before being put in place. Some of the freight cars that derailed will have to be cut up in place and extracted in pieces. Workers in the tunnel have to cope with temperatures that reach 104° F. An article by Thomas Johnson in New Civil Engineer has more details.

Needless to say, here’s hoping the tunnel can be restored to full service ASAP. It takes a vast number of trucks off the roads and cuts emissions. The planet needs infrastructure like this.

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[1] Url: https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2023/8/23/2189106/-UPDATE-The-Gotthard-Base-Tunnel-reopens-one-side-trains-are-running-again

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