During most of the construction period, four information centers were built to inform those who were rather curious about the new tunnel. The 17-year construction process which began in 1999 and culminated in 2016 removed roughly 31 million tons of rock, enough to build five Great Pyramids of Giza. The 57 km long Gotthard Base Tunnel, a 9 billion Euro project, is the world’s longest railway tunnel. "The main reason for the construction of this tunnel was to get the goods traffic off the motorway and onto the trains," says Simon Peggs, of AlpTransit Gotthard AG, which is building the tunnel. Perhaps unsurprisingly, the Gotthard Base Tunnel (GBT) which stretches from Erstfeld to Bodio in Switzerland took some time to complete. up to 6 train paths for freight services and 2 train paths for passenger services per hour in each direction (following the opening of the Ceneri Base Tunnel). 4 information centers. Construction of the Gotthard Base Tunnel: Risk Analysis and Mitigation Measures Based on the risk analysis that was carried out by the project-owner at the beginning of construction plan-ning for the Gotthard Base Tunnel, the following crucial project requirements were identified in the context of the operational risk management: Heiko Wannick, a tunnel construction expert at Munich Re, talks about the success factors associated with tunnel projects of this scale. A milestone has been reached in construction of the Gotthard Base Tunnel with the start of pilot operations in the west tube. On 1 June 2016, almost 17 years after construction work was first commenced, the Gotthard base tunnel will be officially opened with an inauguration ceremony. The Seikan Tunnel connects Japan's Honshu and Hokkaido islands under the sea, measuring roughly 54 km. Its construction required the use of explosives, entailed the deaths of hundreds of workers and originally ran steam trains – which although makes it an engineering feat of its day, rendered it a grim business nonetheless. Gotthard Base Tunnel – A Ground Breaking Project. The construction of the Gotthard Base Tunnel has set a new precedent for this kind of civil engineering project, in terms of both its sheer achievements and the safety with which it has been completed. For more go to http://www.dw.com/en/top-stories/business/s-1431The Gotthard Tunnel is a source of pride for Switzerland. The new Gotthard tunnel was planned as a freight tunnel from the outset, as is clear from the usage concept, i.e. The main Breakthrough took place on the 15th October 2010. The Gotthard Base Tunnel is 3 km longer than the previous record holder. 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