Modern tunnels help overcome various natural obstacles, reduce travel time and allow you to significantly save on gasoline. Many of them are impressive not only with their technical equipment and security systems, but also with their size. The longest road tunnel in Moscow is Lefortovo. Its length is 3.24 km. The tunnel runs under the park of the same name and the Yauza River. In Russia, the Gimrinsky tunnel in Dagestan is considered the largest. An underground highway 4.3 km long connects mountain villages with the center of the republic and saves 20 minutes.
And yet, Russian tunnels are still far from achieving world records. There are many much longer structures on the planet, which also have their own zest. For example, in Norway underground lighting imitates sunset and sunrise, and in China it imitates clouds and Sun rays. In the Laerdal tunnel there are “rest caves” for drivers, and in the St. Gotthard tunnel there are “waiting rooms” for heavy vehicles. Today, leading engineers are building entire networks of underground highways: “spiral”, combined, with roundabouts, intersections, transport interchanges in the rock, caves and panoramic views of the cliffs. Autonews talks about eight record-breaking longest road tunnels in the world.
Italy, Mont Blanc tunnel - 11.61 km
Photo: Harald Wenzel-Orf/Globallookpress
The Mont Blanc Tunnel runs under Mont Blanc, the highest mountain in the Alps. It connects ski resort Chamonix in France with Italian city Courmayeur, therefore, there are customs posts at both entrances. Before the fire in the spring of 1999, thousands of cars managed to pass through the underground highway. The cause of the incident was a fire in the engine of a truck that was transporting flour and margarine. It took about €400 million and three years to restore the Mont Blanc Tunnel. During this time, it was equipped with 120 video surveillance cameras, many thermal sensors, emergency exits and a first aid station. Today the speed limit here is from 50 to 70 km/h. Violating it can result in a large fine or loss of your driver's license. About 5 thousand cars pass through the tunnel every day. The fare for passenger cars ranges from €45.6 on the French side to €46.4 on the Italian side.
France, Fréjus tunnel – 12.87 km
An alternative route for road traffic between France and Italy is the Frejus high-altitude tunnel. Its construction began in 1974, and the launch was scheduled for July 12, 1980. In the first two decades, Frejus received over 20 million cars. After the fire in the Mont Blanc tunnel, it was equipped with the latest smoke detectors, a video camera system, fire hydrants and temperature sensors. Additional modernization of the highway was carried out in 2005. For €10 million it was equipped with 11 shelters and automated system to detect accidents and fires. Today, 80% of all trade between countries passes through Fréjus. Interestingly, in the middle of the tunnel is the French underground laboratory Modan. At a depth of 1.7 km, international experiments in the fields of nuclear physics, microelectronics and biology are conducted here.
Taiwan, Xueshan Tunnel - 12.91 km
The name of the Taiwanese tunnel translates as “Snow Mountain”. A $3 billion underground highway connects the island's capital Taipei and the northeastern province of Yilan. It passes through the central mountain range of Taiwan. For almost 15 years, leading engineers built the tunnel in the face of complex geological obstacles. Due to dozens of landslides, floods and collapses, work often had to be interrupted. Therefore, some experts were confident that the project would never be completed. However, in the summer of 2006 the tunnel was opened. Thanks to this, travel time between cities was reduced from two hours to 30 minutes, and many new hotels appeared in the vicinity of Xueshan. For several years in a row, the maximum speed on the highway was 70 km/h. To increase throughput during peak hours, in 2012 it was increased to 90 km/h. Today there are two service radio stations operating here. They promptly inform drivers about the situation on different areas highways, broadcast last news and music.
Austria, Arlberg Tunnel – 13.97 km
The Arlberg passes through the mountain range of the same name in the Eastern Alps. Automotive stripes and railways it is laid parallel to each other and united by special transitions. Initially, only one track worked for trains, but it was not enough. Therefore, just six months after the tunnel was launched, the second track was opened. The main difference between the tunnel is its high-quality technical equipment. There are more than 40 CCTV cameras alone, and telephones are located every 200 m emergency assistance. In addition, Arlberg is equipped with a fogging system high pressure and a modern thermal scanner. The latter detects trucks and buses with overheated engines before entering the tunnel. In the construction of additional evacuation routes and reconstruction of the power highway invested €136 million. Now about 8 thousand cars pass through Arlberg every day. Drivers need to pay €10 for one trip.
Switzerland, Gotthard Tunnel – 16.94 km
The tunnel under the Gotthard Pass was commissioned in 1980. If you do not exceed the speed limit of 80 km/h, you can cross it completely free of charge. It took ten years to build the 17-kilometer two-lane highway. Today, about 17 thousand vehicles are registered here per day, of which 15% are heavy trucks. Traffic strongly depends on the season: sometimes it exceeds the mark of 34 thousand cars. To provide safe distance between trucks, their entry is controlled by traffic lights. They handle no more than 3.5 thousand heavy trucks per day Vehicle, so there are special “waiting rooms” on both sides of the tunnel. In the coming years, the Swiss authorities plan to conduct major renovation highways. Namely, update suspended ceiling, tunnel ventilation and drainage systems. However, it is impossible to close one of the most important transport arteries in Europe for several years. To do this, they will first build a modern “second pipe” parallel to the old tunnel.
China, Zhongnanshan Tunnel - 18.02 km
The Zhongnanshan Tunnel was built in a record five years and launched in 2007. The project cost €330 million. The two-pipe design shortens the path from ancient city Xi'an to Zuoshui County from three hours to 40 minutes. It passes under the Qingling mountain range in Shaanxi province at a depth of up to 1.64 km. There are three ventilation shafts here, modern systems security and monitoring. Traffic in the tunnel is organized in two lanes in each direction, and the maximum permitted speed is 80 km/h. Distinctive feature Chinese underground highway - unusual design, which makes it a favorite attraction for tourists. The lighting system projects multi-colored patterns onto the walls and imitates a cloudy sky, and the roadsides are decorated with compositions of artificial trees, flowers and lawn. This not only looks impressive, but also allows drivers to maintain concentration throughout the route. In addition, this design significantly reduces eye strain.
Japan, Yamate Tunnel - 18.2 km
The deep underground Yamate Tunnel runs through the center of Tokyo and includes two lanes in each direction. It is equipped LED lighting, infrared sensors, fire extinguishers, escalators, systems fogging and dust collection. Emergency telephones and cameras are located here at intervals of 100 m, emergency exits are located every 350 m, and sprinklers are located every 50 m. Construction of the tunnel lasted from 1992 to 2015. Today it is a key section of the Central Ring Route and helps relieve heavy traffic on the streets of the Japanese capital. After the opening of the tunnel, the amount of congestion in the city decreased by about 40%, but in Yamate itself, collapses sometimes occur. In January 2018, due to heavy snowfall, a 10-kilometer traffic jam formed inside: at one of the exits, cars could not go up the mountain. As a result, hundreds of cars were blocked in the tunnel for almost ten hours. Emergency ladders helped people get to the surface.
Norway, Laerdal tunnel - 24.51 km
Thousands of different tunnels have been built in Norway, including many underwater structures. In difficult mountainous terrain and harsh climates, they make it easier to travel around the country. The Lärdal tunnel is considered the longest tunnel not only in Scandinavia, but throughout the world. This is part of the road connecting Bergen with the Norwegian capital. Thousands of cars pass through it every day, and the entire journey takes about 20 minutes. Interesting feature Laerdal - three artificial grottoes where drivers can stop and rest. In addition, the €113 million tunnel is equipped the latest system air purification using supply ventilation and color lighting. The road itself is illuminated with white light, and the rest areas are illuminated with blue and yellow light, simulating a sunset. To attract the attention of drivers, special noise strips have been installed along the entire route. But there are no emergency exits in the tunnel. Instead, there are emergency telephones, fire extinguishers, video surveillance and mobile communications.
Tunnels have always been considered irreplaceable structures necessary for safe passage or passage underground. But if earlier such architectural masterpieces helped people quietly penetrate enemy territory, today their construction is connected with other goals. Moreover, they differ from each other in structure, location and length. We decided to tell you today what the longest tunnels in the world are.
The longest Japanese tunnel
The longest railway tunnel to date is located in the Land of the Rising Sun. It is called Seikan, which means “Majestic Spectacle” in Japanese. The tunnel is quite impressive in size and even has a part hidden under water. Yes, him total length is 53.85 km, and the underwater fragment corresponds to a length of 23.3 km. That is why, in addition to the title of one of the largest land structures, Seikan also has another title - the longest underwater tunnel in the world.
The structure itself, which took at least 40 years to build, was erected in 1988. It contains two stations. However, despite the power of the building, Seikan is currently not used as often as before. According to analysts, this is due to an increase in railway fares.
Seikan is a tunnel whose depth is 240 m. This marvelous creation of man is located under the famous. According to the designers, the tunnel unites Hokkaido.
Few people know that the original impetus that led to the creation of this giant was a typhoon, as a result of which 5 passenger ferries were wrecked. As a result of this disaster, more than 1,150 tourists, including crew members, died on board just one of them.
The longest and most land connection in the world
The longest tunnels in the world can be divided into the following types:
- aboveground;
- underground;
- automobile, or road;
- railway;
- underwater.
Lamberg, once built in Switzerland, is considered one of the longest above-ground tunnels. Its length is 34 km. Trains can easily travel along it, sometimes reaching speeds of 200 km/h. It is noteworthy that this structure helps Swiss travelers arrive in one of the most popular resort areas of the country - Valle - in a couple of hours. According to experienced tourists, this is where numerous thermal springs are located.
It is interesting that, in addition to its main task, Lamberg, like the other longest tunnels in the world, also performs a number of others. In particular, near the building itself there are warm ones that help to heat Tropenhaus Frutigen - a nearby greenhouse and tropical crops growing on its territory.
One of the largest automobile subways
The longest road tunnel in the world is Lerdal. This 24.5 km long structure is a kind of connecting bridge between the municipalities of Airland and Laerdal, located in western Norway. Moreover, the Lärdal tunnel is considered a continuation of the famous E16 highway, which is located between Bergen and Oslo.
Construction of the famous tunnel began in mid-1995, and it ended closer to 2000. From that moment on, the structure was recognized as one of the longest automobile subways, leaving behind the famous Gotthard Tunnel by as much as 8 km.
Interestingly, the building passes through mountains whose height is above 1600 m. Thanks accurate calculation architects, experts managed to reduce the load on drivers moving through the tunnel. And this was achieved by creating three additional grottoes, equidistant from each other. At the same time, these artificial caves are separated free space underneath the building into four long sections. This is such an unusual and longest tunnel in the world.
Third longest railway tunnel
The Eurotunnel is considered the third longest among other subways passing through railway tracks. This structure runs under the English Channel and unites Great Britain with part continental Europe. With its help, anyone can travel from Paris to London in just a couple of hours. The train remains inside the underground pipe for an average of 20-35 minutes.
The grand opening of the Eurotunnel took place in May 1994. Despite the fact that a lot of money was spent on the construction of this underground corridor, the world community recognized it as a miraculous masterpiece. Therefore, the structure was classified as one of the modern wonders of the world. According to preliminary estimates, this longest tunnel in the world will become self-sustaining only after 1000 years.
Longest tunnel in the Alps
Another incredible underground corridor that has not lost its position for over half a century is the Simplon Tunnel. It is he who is considered the most successful link between the city of Domodossola (Italy) and Brig (Switzerland). In addition, the building itself has a convenient geographical position, as it crosses the famous Orient Express route and affects one of the lines in the Paris-Istanbul direction.
Incredibly, the Simplon Tunnel has its own history. These walls remember a lot, for example, the fact that during the Second World War the entrance and exit from it were mined. However, an unauthorized explosion was avoided thanks to the help of local partisans. Currently, the subway consists of two portals 19803 and 19823 m long. Now you know where the longest tunnel in the world is.
Unfinished “monster” in the Alps
There is also an unfinished one in the Alps, which is called a real monster of modern architectural buildings. This titanium, whose length is about 57 km, is comfortably located in friendly Switzerland. According to the project developers themselves, main goal The tunnel is a safe passage of goods and passengers through the Alps. In addition, it can be used to reduce the three-hour journey from Zurich to Milan to two hours and fifty minutes.
And although the Gotthard tunnel in this moment It's not finished yet, it's already breaking records for the amount of money spent. As reported in one foreign publication, to date the construction of the underground corridor has cost its owners $10.3 billion. The opening of one of the longest railway tunnels is planned for 2017.
The longest tunnels in the world: undersea connection between Japan and South Korea
The South Korean government, together with the Japanese, has developed a plan to build a tunnel 182 km long. This decision was made in order to increase trade turnover and speed up transport connections between the two countries. This project, according to experts, will be grandiose. And although its construction is just beginning, developers, engineers and architects have already had to face a lot of problems. In particular, it is not yet clear how the rescue system will work if a random accident suddenly occurs.
The longest and most expensive tunnel in the world
The longest road tunnel, where you can see eight lanes of the highway at once, is considered the Great Boston Tunnel. However, its amazing structure and design undoubtedly pale in comparison to the amount that the customers of this building had to pay.
According to preliminary data, the total budget spent on the construction of the tunnel exceeded $14.6 billion. But the contractors were unable to meet this amount, so additional daily costs amounted to about $3 million. More than 150 modern cranes worked during the construction of the Great Boston Tunnel. Moreover, more than 5,000 employees participated in the process itself.
The longest tunnel in all of Spain
Spain also boasts Guadarama, a long land tunnel that connects Valladolid with Madrid. Its length is only 28.37 km. The opening of this building took place in 2007. Later they started talking about Guadarama as the largest architectural work in Spain.
Large underground tunnel in Japan
Japan is famous for its underground and above ground buildings, among which is the large Hakkoda railway tunnel. Its total length is about 26.5 km. Many years have passed since the opening of this building until now. But it continues to be one of the most unique spacious passages, along which two trains can pass at once.
Illustration copyright AFP Image caption This photo was taken on October 15, 2010. Workers stand at a huge tunneling shield, with the help of which the tunnel was built
The world's longest and deepest railway tunnel, the Gotthard railway tunnel, opened today in Switzerland. It took almost 20 years and more than $12 billion to build.
Its permanent operation will begin in December.
Swiss authorities say the tunnel will revolutionize the transport of goods in Europe. Goods that are currently transported by millions of trucks each year will be transported by rail.
This technological marvel will provide faster and easier connections between southern and northern Europe. The tunnel will speed up the movement of goods and people and reduce pollution environment exhaust gases from cars.
Swiss authorities predict that 260 freight trains will be able to pass through the tunnel per day. 20 million passengers a year will be able to use the new highway. Travel time from Zurich to Milan will be reduced to 2 hours 50 minutes.
Conquering the Alps as part of self-identification
Until now, the longest railway tunnel in the world was considered the Japanese Seikan, 53.9 km long with an underwater fragment 23.3 km long.
Illustration copyright Reuters Image caption The Gotthard Tunnel runs under the Alps - the maximum height of the mountains above the tunnel is 2300 metersThe Gotthard Tunnel is also longer than the Channel Tunnel, which is 50.5 km long.
This is not only the longest tunnel in the world, it is also the deepest railway tunnel in existence: the maximum height of the mountains above the tunnel is 2300 meters. Without a powerful ventilation system, the temperature in it would reach +40 degrees.
On solemn ceremony The opening of the tunnel in Switzerland will be attended by German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Francois Hollande along with Swiss officials.
“This is part of the Swiss identity,” Peter Fuglisthaler, head of the Swiss Federal Department of Transport, was quoted by Reuters as saying.
“For us, conquering the Alps is the same as exploring the oceans for the Dutch,” he said.
Cost of the tunnel: $12 billion and 9 lives
The project, which cost more than $12 billion to build, was approved by the Swiss in a referendum in 1992.
Illustration copyright EPA Image caption 20 million passengers a year will be able to use the new highwayDuring construction of the tunnel, engineers extracted 73 different types of rocks: some were as hard as granite, others as soft as sugar. Nine workers died during construction.
The Gotthard Tunnel, completed on time and on budget, will become a mainline railway linking Rotterdam in the Netherlands with Genoa, Italy. The tunnel, consisting of two parallel tunnels, runs from the municipality of Bodio in southern Switzerland to the municipality of Erstfeld in the center of the country.
From December, when permanent operation of the tunnel begins, the journey from Zurich to Milan will take two hours and forty minutes - an hour less than usual.
Money to finance the project was taken from budget revenues from taxes on fuel and value added, and another part of the funds was a government loan, which must be repaid within 10 years.
Representatives of the Swiss bank Credit Suisse said that among the economic benefits of the Gotthard Tunnel are simplified transportation of goods and an influx of tourists.
10
A railway tunnel in Japan is 53.85 km long with an underwater fragment 23.3 km long. The tunnel descends to a depth of about 240 meters, 100 meters below the seabed. It lies under the Sangar Strait, connecting Aomori Prefecture on the Japanese island of Honshu and the island of Hokkaido - as part of the Kaikyo and Hokkaido Shinkansen line railway company Hokkaido. It is the deepest seabed and second longest railway tunnel in the world.
9
The railway tunnel in Switzerland is 57.1 km long (including service and pedestrian passages - 153.4 km). The northern portal of the tunnel is located near the village of Erstfeld, and the southern portal is located near the village of Bodio. After the completion of the eastern part (October 15, 2010) and the western part (March 23, 2011), it became the longest railway tunnel in the world.
8 Beijing Subway: Line 10
The high-speed rail transport system of Beijing, the capital of China, has been in operation since 1969 and has been rapidly developing since the end of the 20th century. It ranks second among metro systems in the world in terms of line length and annual passenger flow, as well as second place in peak daily passenger flow after the Moscow Metro.
7 Guangzhou Metropolitan: Line 3
The decision to build a metro in Guangzhou was made in 1989. Construction began in 1993. The first line was put into operation on June 28, 1997. In 2002, the second line was opened, in 2005 - the third and fourth. On December 28, 2013, metro line 6 was opened.
6
It was built in 1987 in Sweden. Cross section the tunnel is 8 m2.
5
Within a large water management system. of the Orange River project, dams and reservoirs Hendrik-Verwoerd and Le Roux were built in the middle reaches of the river, designed to regulate the river flow, irrigate agricultural lands, industrial water supply, for hydropower purposes. Part of the flow from the Hendrik-Verwoerd reservoir is transferred through a tunnel through the mountain range to the south of South Africa.
4
One of the longest tunnels is located in Liaoning province. China has previously taken part in the implementation of large-scale road projects. For example, the Danyang-Kunshan Great Bridge is the most long bridge in the world.
3
Päijänne water pipeline- a conduit tunnel located in the south of Finland. Its length is 120 km, depth from 30 to 100 m from the surface. The purpose of constructing the water pipeline is to supply water to the capital agglomeration of Finland, in whose cities (Helsinki, Espoo, Vantaa and others) more than a million people live.
2
Many of us have the luxury of instant access to clean water, but few people think about what miracles of technology we can pour ourselves a glass of water. New York is one of those cities that lacks sources fresh water. As the population grew, aqueducts began to appear. In 1945, the Delaware Aqueduct appeared. Today it supplies the population of the metropolis with water by 50 percent. It is the second longest continuous tunnel in the world with a length of 137 kilometers. It was created by drilling and blasting hard rocks. The aqueduct works incredibly efficiently - 95 percent of the total volume of water is supplied independently.
1
The longest tunnel in the world- Thirlmere aqueduct. Its length is 154,000 meters, construction began in 1890 and ended in 1925. Formally, it is not the longest tunnel in the world, since it is not a continuous tunnel, but it is generally accepted to consider it the longest tunnel in the world. The aqueduct was built to carry water from the Manchester reservoir, and about 250 thousand cubic meters of water passes through it every day.
The construction of a tunnel that would connect mainland Europe and island Great Britain was dreamed of back in the early XIX century. But to carry out the grandiose plan to build the world's longest underwater railway tunnel succeeded only in 1994. But, strange as it may seem, the joy of its creators from the construction quickly gave way to financial disappointment: the tunnel brought only losses.
The project to build a railway tunnel under the English Channel, or Eurotunnel, as it is also called, started in 1973. But due to lack of funding, direct construction began only in 1987. The idea was unique in terms of the complexity of the design itself and the technical implementation of underwater drilling.
To implement the railway connection, it was decided to build two tunnels through which trains would run, and one tunnel for Maintenance and ensuring access in case of emergency situations. In this case, the drilling of tunnels had to take place at a depth of more than 50 meters under the bottom of the English Channel. This was due to the fact that it is at this depth that Cretaceous deposits, represented mainly by sandstone, lie. It was easier and faster to drill through them, so the tunnel itself is not strictly horizontal, but follows the bend of the sedimentary rock layer.
Drilling of passages was carried out simultaneously from two banks: British and French. The diameter of the central tunnel, which is intended for line maintenance, is 4.8 m, and the diameters of the main lines where the railway tracks pass are 7.6 m. All tunnel walls are reinforced with 45 cm thick concrete. The service tunnel is connected to the main tracks by regular crossings through every 370 meters.
The tunnel route was laid using high-precision satellite equipment, and the drilling direction was set using a laser beam. However, when the French and British builders met, it turned out that the error was about 30 centimeters in the horizontal direction, and the vertical deviations were insignificant.
In May 1994, the Eurotunnel was inaugurated, and the festive event was personally attended by Queen Elizabeth II of Great Britain and French President Francois Mitterrand. The Channel Tunnel, which connects Calais in France with Folkestone in Britain, carries passenger and freight trains, as well as shuttle trains carrying trucks and cars. The length of the tunnel is 50.5 kilometers, and 39 kilometers of track are located directly under water. Trains cross the English Channel in 20-35 minutes (depending on the brand of train) at an average speed of 160 km/h.
But, despite the significance of the Eurotunnel and its obvious necessity, the grandiose Franco-British project turned out to be unprofitable. This was also influenced by the policy of reducing prices by alternative carriers, which was carried out immediately after the opening of the tunnel, and emergency situations, which have appeared underground more than once. And although the company operating the tunnel periodically announces annual profits, it does not bring stable income to its owners.