Zimmerberg Base Tunnel

Zimmerberg Base Tunnel
Overview
LineGotthard Line
LocationZürich, Switzerland
Coordinates47°19′40″N 8°31′52″E / 47.3277°N 8.5312°E / 47.3277; 8.5312
StatusActive since 2003
SystemSwiss Federal Railways (SBB CFF FFS)
StartZürich
EndThalwil
Operation
OpenedApril 2003[1]
OwnerSBB Infrastructure
OperatorSBB CFF FFS
TrafficRailway
CharacterPassenger and freight
Technical
Length9.4 km (5.8 mi)[2]
No. of tracks2[2]
Track gauge1,435 mm (4 ft 8+12 in) (standard gauge)
Electrified15 kV 16.7 Hz
Operating speed160 km/h (99 mph)
The NRLA project (Gotthard Base Tunnel and Zimmerberg Base Tunnel) is the centerpiece of the Central European rail network.

The Zimmerberg Base Tunnel (ZBT) is a railway tunnel under the Zimmerberg mountains in Switzerland. Phase I of the tunnel was opened to traffic during April 2003.

The ZBT has been divided into two phases of work; as of 2024, only Phase I is operational while Phase II remains in the planning and preparation stages. Zimmerberg I is about 10 km long; it links Zürich with Thalwil, bypassing a section of the Lake Zürich left-bank railway line, which allows rail traffic to traverse the mountains more efficiently.

  1. ^ "Gotthard Base Tunnel". railway-technology.com. Retrieved 9 June 2020.
  2. ^ a b "Project data – raw construction Gotthard Base Tunnel" (PDF). Lucerne, Switzerland: AlpTransit Gotthard AG. 1 June 2016. Retrieved 15 December 2016.