Lötschberg Base Tunnel
Lötschberg Base Tunnel
The Lötschberg Base Tunnel together with the century-old Simplon Rail Tunnel form the western part of the Alptransit project
(yellow: major tunnels, red: existing main tracks, numbers: year of completion) |
| Overview |
| Official name |
German: Lötschberg Basis Tunnel
|
| Line |
Lötschberg Line |
| Location |
Traversing the Bernese Alps in Switzerland
|
| Coordinates |
46°34′41″N 7°38′56″E / 46.578°N 7.649°E / 46.578; 7.649 (Lötschberg Base Tunnel, northern portal) – 46°18′32″N 7°49′55″E / 46.309°N 7.832°E / 46.309; 7.832 (Lötschberg Base Tunnel, southern portal)
|
| System |
BLS, SBB CFF FFS
|
| Start |
Frutigen, canton of Bern, 780 m (2,560 ft) |
| End |
Raron, canton of Valais, 654 m (2,146 ft) |
| Operation |
| Work begun |
5 July 1999 |
| Opened |
14 June 2007 |
| Owner |
BLS NETZ AG |
| Operator |
BLS |
| Traffic |
Railway |
| Character |
Passenger, Freight |
| Technical |
| Length |
34.5766 km (21.4849 mi) |
|
No. of tracks
|
One single-track tube for 20km, two single-track tubes for 14km |
| Track gauge |
1,435 mm (4 ft 8 1⁄2 in) (standard gauge) |
| Electrified |
15 kV 16.7 Hz |
| Operating speed |
up to 250 km/h (160 mph) |
| Highest elevation |
828 m (2,717 ft) |
| Lowest elevation |
654 m (2,146 ft) (south portal) |
| Grade |
3–13 ‰ |
|
|
|
To Bern, Switzerland
|
|
|
8.3 |
Reichenbach im Kandertal(706 MSL)
|
|
|
10.4 |
Wengi-Ey junction |
|
|
|
|
|
|
11.3 |
Wengi |
|
|
13.5 |
Frutigen(779 MSL)
|
|
|
|
Engstlige (~2.600 m) |
|
|
|
Widi (~220 m) |
|
|
|
To Brig by old route
|
|
|
|
Tellenfeld control office |
|
|
|
North portal of base tunnel (34,577 m) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Mitholz(western tube partly constructed)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Ferden Nord(both tubes in
|
|
|
|
operation south of Ferden Nord) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Steg junction(unfinished)
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
