European Railroad Discussion > Trains: First passenger trains to return to Gotthard Base Tunnel

BERN, Switzerland — Passenger trains will begin returning to the Gotthard Base Tunnel as of this Friday, Sept. 29, SBB, the Swiss Federal Railways, announced today.One southbound train will be operated through the tunnel on Friday and one northbound train will run on Sunday, helping address peak autumn weekend demand on the route to southern Switzerland and Italy. Over the next three weekends, two additional southbound trains will be added on Saturday and one northbound train on Sunday.[...]
First passenger trains to return to Gotthard Base Tunnel - Trains

cph Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> BERN, Switzerland — Passenger trains will begin
> returning to the Gotthard Base Tunnel as of this
> Friday, Sept. 29, SBB, the Swiss Federal
> Railways, announced today.One southbound train
> will be operated through the tunnel on Friday and
> one northbound train will run on Sunday, helping
> address peak autumn weekend demand on the route to
> southern Switzerland and Italy. Over the next
> three weekends, two additional southbound trains
> will be added on Saturday and one northbound train
> on Sunday.[...]
> First passenger trains to return to Gotthard Base
> Tunnel - Trains

The photo accompanying the article showing the chunk
of the broken wheel is shocking, it looks like one-third
of the rim.

Have they left the old line intact? I hope so.  

leon Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Have they left the old line intact? I hope so.

It is still intact save for a small number of
crossovers.

It is indeed intact, in excellent condition and very operationally sound, and in fairly heavy use (about 40 trains per day) as a detour route following the accident in the new Base Tunnel.

And it is just as spectacular as ever.

I just returned from a week in Switzerland and several days on the line, photographing and riding it. I have started the process of preparing some images for posting here on TO. It will take a while, but stay tuned and watch for them. I think you might find them to be worthwhile.

Just a sample for now, a detouring southbound SBB express train bound for Bellinzona, Locarno and Milan, seen here just north of Lavorgo, Switzerland in the Italian-speaking canton of Ticino, on the south ramp (sud rampe) of the old Gotthard Tunnel.

MC

Originally Posted from Android - later edited with image added



Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 09/29/23 19:41 by ironmtn.

---

leon Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Have they left the old line intact? I hope so.  

The old line has never been closed, before the accident in the tunnel it was served by the Sud Ost Bahn's hourly Treno Gottardo service from Zurich / Basel to Locarno.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/29/23 23:48 by 86235.

86235 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> leon Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> > Have they left the old line intact? I hope so.  
>
> The old line has never been closed, before the
> accident in the tunnel it was served by the Sud
> Ost Bahn's hourly Treno Gottardo service from
> Zurich / Basel to Locarno.

Thanks for that clarification. Here is one of those hourly Treno Gottardo-service trains at the same location just north of Lavorgo. Information on these Stadler Traverso EMU trainsets: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SOB_Traverso

Trains like these, as well as the seasonal tourist-oriented (and locomotive-hauled) Gotthard Panorama Express will remain in service over the old line after the new Base Tunnel is fully reopened. Other traffic now detouring over the old route and the original Gotthard Tunnel will, sadly, return to the Base Tunnel when repairs have been completed.

MC



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/30/23 04:30 by ironmtn.

---

Thank you all for the wonderful photos and the detailed descriptions.

Even though I am almost 69 years of age I wish I could spend a winter on a Beilhack railway snow clearer with a snow shovel and a 35 Millimeter camera 
showing why we should have more of the AEB Schmidt-older model Beilhack HB1600S railway snow clearers in the west as they are more effective than
ballast regulators and the rotary plows. 

When I see the Union Pacific running 2 plow trains with 2 rotaries up and up to 5 locomotives, Prinhoff plows and and flanger trains every winter
and having to use balloon tracks to move the plow trains and flangers and have people tell me the Beilhack twin disc self propelled railway
snow clearers would never work on Donner Pass because thier snow is harder to clear and would never work.  The Beilhack snow clearers can
rotate 180 degrees and travel in reverse without a balloon track, wye, switching or turntable.  I just shake my head.
The combination of the 4 ice and snow breaking propellers and the twin disc snow cutters with 4 scoops breaks the snow into the smallest
part 3 times per revolution and the twin hydraulic chutes can discharge the snow left, right or forward on the rail line.
The twin disc snow clearing heads and the snow moldboards mounted on the snow clearing heads can be extended to 4,750 millimeters
(15.584 feet wide) to clear the right of way on the second pass.  
After being told that we don't get that much snow by UPRR abd BNSF and seeing them rebuild the old southern pacific rotaries and
seeing BNSF sent their old GN rotaries to Iowa to have them rebuilt I just shake my head. 

The accountant in me just forces me to endure a headache and I just shake my head.


 



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/30/23 11:36 by leon.