Swiss Complete Trans-European Rail Route With Ceneri Tunnel Under the Alps

CEO of Swiss Federal Railways (SBB) Vincent Ducrot (R) and CEO AlpTransit Gotthard Dieter Schwank wave signalling discs during the opening ceremony of the newly built Ceneri Base Tunnel, on Sept. 4, 2020. Arnd Wiegmann/Reuters

CAMORINO, Switzerland—Switzerland officially opened the Ceneri Base Tunnel on Friday, the final piece in a direct, flat rail link connecting northern Europe to the Mediterranean via routes beneath the Alps.

The 15.4 kilometer (9.57 miles) tunnel marks the completion of the New Rail Link through the Alps (NRLA), a 22.8 billion Swiss franc ($25.04 billion) project dubbed Switzerland’s construction project of the century.