SWITZERLAND:The world's longest overland tunnel for trains linking Europe's north and south was opened in Switzerland yesterday after eight years of construction.
Hundreds of officials and citizens gathered at the northern entrance of the 34km (21-mile) Lötschberg Tunnel, as the first train burst through a banner declaring "Lötschberg - connecting Europe", accompanied by fireworks.
The tunnel will trim the time trains take to cross between Germany and Italy from approximately 3½ hours to less than two. It will also get holidaymakers to Swiss ski resorts more quickly.
The trip from Bern, at the northern end of the tunnel, to Visp, near ski regions such as Switzerland's Zermatt and Italy's Courmayeur on the southern side of the tunnel, will be cut in half - to 55 minutes from 110.
The tunnel - which cost about 4.3 billion Swiss francs (€2.59 billion) - is longer than the current overland record-holder, Japan's 26.4km (16.4-mile) Hakkoda Tunnel.
It will come third overall, behind the underwater Seikan Tunnel, also in Japan, and the Channel Tunnel connecting France and the UK.