Swiss dig world's longest tunnel (BBC)

[eppur_se_muova]

By Imogen Foulkes
BBC News, Berne
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The amount of freight crossing the Alps in heavy goods vehicles has risen sharply over the last two decades. In 1990 an estimated 40m tonnes went by road, in 2001 that had risen to 90m tonnes, with further big increases expected by 2010.

But concerns for the Alpine environment and fears over safety have led to big pressure to move freight off the roads and onto the railways.
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Deep beneath the Alps, the Swiss are building a high-speed rail link between Zurich and Milan. It will include, at 57 kilometres (35 miles), the world's longest tunnel.

A key feature of the project, which is new to alpine transport, is the fact that the entire railway line will stay at the same altitude of 500 metres (1,650ft) above sea level.

This will allow trains using the line to reach speeds of 240km/h (149mph), reducing the travel time between Zurich and Milan from today's four hours to just two-and-a-half. That would make the journey faster than flying.
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more: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/6471241.stm