Society
Since the invention of trains, cars and aeroplanes, we have been living in an age of mobility. Goods and people travel around the globe at ever increasing speeds. The NRLA is symbolic of a society gathering pace, especially in the urban and economic centres. Rural areas, meanwhile, stand to profit through tourism. The Lötschberg Base Tunnel, the second major axis of the NRLA after the Gotthard Base Tunnel, brings a new influx of tourists to the canton of Valais and allows large numbers of people to commute from Valais to jobs in the main German-speaking cities.
The first paved road through the mountains
The NRLA follows on from a centuries-old tradition of transport routes through the Swiss Alps.
View eventJourney times become shorter and shorter
In the early modern era, it takes travellers at least ten days to cover the 310 kilometres from Basel to the Italian border; now that same trip can be done in less than four hours.
View eventTicino sets the pace
The peripheral region of Ticino boasts some magnificent historic stations. The locals are quicker off the mark than their counterparts in central Switzerland, building while money is still available.
View eventThe Gotthard railway in literature
Spitteler, Moeschlin and Schädelin are just some of the writers captivated by the Gotthard railway.
View eventThe battle with nature
Railways are a comparatively environmentally friendly means of transport. In the Alps, however, they come up against the forces of nature.
View eventRail tourism
Rail is a popular means of transport. Switzerland’s railway lines contribute to its success as a tourist destination.
View eventCombined goods transport
Hupac is the largest provider of combined goods transport through the Alps. It succeeds despite opposition from the railways and the haulage industry.
View eventThe overall transport strategy
The coordination of transport policy, with funding from the Confederation, forms an important basis for the NRLA.
View eventThe Gotthard myth
The Gotthard enjoys mythical status in Switzerland. It symbolises Switzerland’s defensive potential, but also its transit function.
View eventThe Federal Council reaches out to the people
The route to the NRLA is paved with briefing events intended to inform, convince, and then inform and convince all over again.
View eventApproval from western Switzerland
The main beneficiaries of the base tunnels through the Gotthard and Lötschberg are Zurich, Bern, Valais and Ticino. But the French-speaking cantons of western Switzerland also gain from the NRLA.
View eventThe NRLA and Europe
From the outset, business representatives and politicians view the NRLA as a project that will advance Switzerland’s integration into Europe.
View eventPressure from the environmental movement
The «construction project of the century» is the subject of heated debate, with politicians, administrators and environmental organisations grappling to find common solutions.
View eventSpatial planning
Transport routes change the landscape. The routing of the NRLA lines thus becomes a matter of spatial planning.
View eventLinks to other countries
The success of the NRLA hinges on countries other than Switzerland. The amount of freight carried by rail will only increase if the Rotterdam-Genoa axis is modernised.
View eventThe big shift
With the expansion of the NRLA, goods traffic through the Alps is progressively transferred from road to rail, though more slowly than planned.
View eventA fire brings big changes
The fire in the Gotthard road tunnel is a shock. As a consequence, safety precautions are made more stringent in rail tunnels too. The fire paves the way for the second road tube.
View eventHistorians and the NRLA
To date, only one academic history of the NRLA has seen the light of day. It was written by the German historian Markus Höschen at the University of Paderborn.
View eventUsing the tunnels to get away
The vast majority of passengers taking the train for their journey through the Alps are travelling not for business but for pleasure.
View eventA million visitors
During construction of the Gotthard and Lötschberg Base Tunnels, the general public have an opportunity to view the inside of the mountain. Huge numbers do so.
View eventTunnels of the world
Whose tunnel is the longest? Tunnel construction is a never-ending competition for the world record.
View eventHigh-profile guests at the opening ceremony
No expense is spared at the Gotthard Base Tunnel inauguration ceremony in 2016. Merkel, Hollande and Renzi are in attendance, but not the heads of the EU.
View eventCosts and benefits
The NRLA has cost a lot of money. Time will tell how great the economic benefits are.
View event43,152 trains
In the opening months, traffic in the new Gotthard Base Tunnel occasionally grinds to a halt. The SBB lay on extra trains to cope.
View eventThe train feels the strain
The Lötschberg Base Tunnel becomes a victim of its own success. Planning for an expansion is already under way.
View eventWhither the mountain routes?
Not everyone is a winner from the NRLA. The future of the world-famous Gotthard mountain route through the Urseren Valley and the Leventina is still undecided.
View event