Gothard railway

Gotthard railway
Map of the Gotthard railway
Overview
Locale	Switzerland
Termini	Immensee, Schwyz Chiasso, Ticino
Operation
Opened	June 1, 1882
Owner	Swiss Federal Railways
Technical
Line length	206 km (128 mi) (Immensee-Chiasso)
Track gauge	1,435 mm (4 ft 8 1⁄2 in)
Electrification	15 kV ​16 2⁄3 Hz AC supplied by overhead line
Highest elevation	1,151 m (3,776 ft)
Maximum incline	2.7%

The Gotthard railway (German: Gotthardbahn; Italian: Ferrovia del Gottardo) is the Swiss trans-alpine railway line from northern Switzerland to the canton of Ticino. The line forms a major part of an important international railway link between northern and southern Europe, especially on the Rotterdam-Basel-Genoa corridor. The Gotthard Railway Company (German: Gotthardbahn-Gesellschaft) was the former private railway company which financed the construction of, and originally operated, that line.

The railway comprises a main line from Immensee to Chiasso, together with branches, from Immensee to Lucerne and Rotkreuz, from Arth-Goldau to Zug, and from Bellinzona to Locarno and Luino. The main line, second highest standard railway in Switzerland, penetrates the Alps by means of the Gotthard Tunnel at 1,151 metres (3,776 ft) above sea level. The line then descends as far as Bellinzona, at 241 metres (791 ft) above sea level, before climbing again to the pass of Monte Ceneri, on the way to Lugano and Chiasso. The extreme differences in altitude necessitate the use of long ramped approaches on each side, together with several spirals.

Construction of the line started in 1872, with some lowland sections opening by 1874. The full line opened in 1882, following completion of the Gotthard Tunnel. The line was incorporated into the Swiss Federal Railways in 1909, and electrified in 1922.