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Gotthard Base Tunnel Sees Daylight

December 9th, 2011

Straddling the border between France, Italy and Germany lie the Alps, a majestic spectacle to behold. But also an impediment to cross-border progress, it must be said. The vertiginous roads that wind and wriggle across these rugged mountains are hazardous to traverse, resulting in traffic jams, environmental damage and much gritting of teeth for all concerned.

It’s easy to understand why the governments of all three countries were eager to commission a passage to cut through the mountains. The Gotthard Base Tunnel, as it is known, burrows beneath the Alps, obviating the need to negotiate mountainous chicanes altogether. When it is completed, the tunnel will not only speed up the transportation of goods and flow of traffic, but could conceivably provide a new way for tourists to reach the ski resorts at the summit. The world’s largest elevator is being mooted as an accessory to what is already a gargantuan undertaking.

The 35-mile railway tunnel will be the longest of its type upon completion, overtaking the Seikan Tunnel in Japan. With twin tracks enabling high speed trains to hurtle through at up to 155 mph, commuting time between Zurich and Milan will be significantly reduced. Construction has been hastened by the building of four access tunnels, enabling work to be conducted on all four sections simultaneously, while a fifth has recently been added. The project, currently on schedule, is due for completion in 2016.

It may arrive on time, but it certainly won’t be arriving on budget – originally costed at £6.4 billion, that figure has now spiraled to £10 billion. Eight of the 20,000 workers involved in the tunnel’s construction have died thus far, leading some to question the true price of this mammoth undertaking. Not all of the problems affecting the project are subterranean either – last week 30 police officers were injured in clashes with protestors objecting to the rail link. Demonstrators near Turin gathered to draw attention to the area of outstanding natural beauty they claim will be destroyed by the line’s encroachment. Five people were arrested during the protests, which were blamed on the work of left-wing extremists. » Read more: Gotthard Base Tunnel Sees Daylight

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Tags: high speed trains traffic Tunnel tunnel in japan

Panama Canal Expansion

December 9th, 2011

In August of 1914, as the world teetered on the brink of war, the Panama Canal opened for business. After decades of political wrangling, titanic construction work and a mounting death toll, the project had become the largest engineering project ever undertaken, encompassing almost fifty miles excavated through disease-ridden jungle. Its completion heralded a vital shortcut for trade routes between the Atlantic and Pacific. Over the passing decades, the number of vessels using the canal has increased exponentially.

Due to the numerical and physical volume of ships that annually traverse the waterway, in 2006 an expansion project was proposed to swell its capacity. It was approved unanimously by Panama’s National Assembly and subsequently by its citizens, who voted overwhelmingly for the project to be given the go-ahead. Originally, the canal consisted of two lanes at either end leading from the Atlantic and Pacific oceans into the canal’s artificial lakes.

The expansion project will see a third lane added to each side, allowing a greater number of ships to enter the waterway. On the Pacific side, this will incorporate the disused channels begun by the US after embarking on a similar development in 1940. In addition, the existing straits will be widened and deepened to increase the maximum dimensions of viable ships (a formula known as the ‘Panamax’). Up to 40,000 jobs will be created over the course of the project’s life cycle, most of which revolve around the building of the new lock gate systems and dredging the way for their construction.

Since work began, around 30 million cubic metres have been cleared from the lakes and synthetic firths. A primary challenge in designing the new lock gates was to ensure that the increased operating capacity would have no detrimental impact on the lake that feeds the canal. This was achieved by devising an automated system using custom-built hydraulics to recycle the water used in each stage of the lock. As a result, 60% less water has to be taken from Lake Gatun, in spite of the new canal’s larger lock chambers. » Read more: Panama Canal Expansion