30 years of the Gotthard road tunnel
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Students from canton Ticino south of the Alps demonstrate in favour of the Gotthard road tunnel: "We do not want to be Swiss only in summer." (RDB) -
Göschenen in 1955. Until the tunnel opened in 1980 trains that carried cars were the only secure link between northern Switzerland and canton Ticino. (Keystone) Keystone -
Construction work in the Gotthard road tunnel - 1971. (RDB) RDB -
The opening of the road tunnel on September 5, 1980, was enthusiastically celebrated by the people of Airolo. (Keystone) Keystone -
Trucks cross each other in the 16.91km-long tunnel. (Keystone) Keystone -
The Tour de Suisse cycling race, June 2000. In summer the old Gotthard Pass road, the so-called "Tremola", is a popular day's outing. (Keystone) Keystone -
Eleven people were killed on October 24, 2001, in a fire which broke out following a collision between two trucks. (Keystone) Keystone -
The wreck of a car one week after the accident. (Keystone) Keystone -
The control room at the southern end of the Gotthard tunnel, decorated for Christmas. (Keystone) Keystone -
"The Alps, Toilet of Europe". Demonstration in Airolo on December 21, 2001, against the Avanti Initiative, which called for the construction of a second tunnel. (Keystone) Keystone -
Traffic comes to a standstill near Wassen on May 5, 2005. (Keystone) Keystone -
Waiting in Amsteg on April 30, 2005. Keystone
Emotions, a fire and traffic jams.
This content was published on September 1, 2010 - 10:06
The Gotthard Tunnel is the longest road tunnel in Switzerland and the third-longest in the world at 16.4km.
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