Switzerland’s NRLA, known as the Swiss New Rail Link through the Alps, is a groundbreaking railway project featuring three base tunnels constructed beneath the Alps. While two of these tunnels have been completed, one is currently undergoing significant expansion work. The NRLA comprises the Gotthard Base Tunnel, the world’s longest railway tunnel, along with the Ceneri Base Tunnel and the Lötschberg Base Tunnel. The Lötschberg Base Tunnel expansion is set to be finished by 2035, following the NRLA’s overall completion in 2020.
With a budget of around 12.2 billion Swiss francs, equivalent to £11.3 billion, the NRLA aims to reduce road traffic congestion and minimize environmental impact. Connecting eight cities across two countries, the Swiss New Rail Link spans Zurich, Basel, Lugano, Bellinzona, Lucerne, and Bern in Switzerland, as well as Milan and Genoa in Italy.
Switzerland has a history of tunnel construction, having dug over 1,400 tunnels covering a distance of 2,000 kilometers (1,242 miles) beneath its landscape. The Federal Department of the Environment, Transport, Energy, and Communications described the NRLA as the largest railway construction project in Swiss history. The Gotthard Base Tunnel, extending 57 kilometers, became operational in 2016 after 17 years of construction.
The Ceneri Base Tunnel, measuring 15.4 kilometers, is the third significant project within the NRLA. Plans are underway to expand the Lötschberg Base Tunnel to two tracks by around 2034, enhancing capacity and operational efficiency to enable a half-hourly passenger service. Additionally, the Brenner Base Tunnel (BBT) is another major project currently under construction, set to connect Austria and Italy.
