Engineers have drilled their way through the final section of rock beneath the Swiss Alps to complete the world’s longest tunnel.
The breakthrough in the 35-mile Gotthard rail tunnel paves the way for continuous high-speed train travel between Zurich and Milan in Italy in six years’ time.
For some 14 years, huge boring machines have been tunnelling through the mountains from two directions: in the north from Erstfeld near Lake Lucerne and in the south from Bodio, near Switzerland’s border with Italy. Eight workers have died since construction began.
The tunnel will cut an hour from the transalpine rail journey and drive booming road freight off congested Swiss mountain roads on to more environmentally friendly rail.
The project – described by the European Union Transport Commissioner Siim Kallashas as ‘remarkable’ – will cost an estimated 10 billion Swiss Francs (£6.5 billion/$10.4 billion).
by Andy Moreton
Luxique can help you find the ideal luxury hotel in Zurich, including the landmark Hotel Baur au Lac.
I’ve just spent a long weekend in the northern French city of Lille, where there’s some fine architecture and some appetising specialities: moules et frites (mussels and French fries), gaufres (waffles) and crêpes (pancakes).
The city, which is close to the border with Belgium, used not to be a hotspot for tourism, but that all changed in 1994 with the arrival of the Channel Tunnel, linking the United Kingdom with the European mainland.
Lille suddenly found itself at the centre of a triangle connecting London, Paris and Brussels. Ever since then, tourists have been able to take the option of stopping off from the high-speed Eurostar trains and spending a pleasant break in Lille, where French life’s at a slower pace than in Paris.
The Eurostar link has, of course, transformed the place, with the huge Euralille shopping mall evidence of an economic boom. In 2004, the city was European Capital of Culture.
But not everyone, it seems, has benefited from the largesse brought in by tourist Euros. I don’t think I’ve ever seen so many beggars in such a relatively small city. Men and women with pathetic paper cups were squatting on street corners, beside automatic cash machines and on church steps. Sometimes they approached while you were out walking.
A few were alcohol-fuelled, but in the main these were simply the dispossessed and desperate – a sad sideshow in a modern, thriving city.
by Andy Moreton
There was something of a shock for 135 passengers heading for Milan in Italy on an overnight sleeper train. They woke up in Zurich, Switzerland.
Travellers boarded the carriages of two trains on Sunday night in the Spanish city of Barcelona – one was destined for Zurich and the other for Milan. They travelled in convoy to Lyon in France where, in the early hours, technicians were to split them and send them their separate ways. But they confused the destinations.
The staff on one train realised the mistake at the Italian border and the train was sent back, finally arriving at its destination three hours late. However, the Salvador Dali travelled all the way to Zurich before the error was realised.
Still confused? Let a spokesman for Renfe, the Spanish rail company, explain: “Signallers made a mistake during the points switch in Lyon. The drivers of the two locomotives went the right way but they left Lyon with the wrong set of carriages.”
This ‘train hotel’ service called Elipsos is particularly popular with British students who spend the summer inter-railing around Europe. Its slogan? Wake Up To A New Skyline.
by Andy Moreton
Luxique can help you find a luxury hotel in Barcelona, Milan or Zurich … whether you’re there by accident or design.
Eurostar – which provides the train service under the Channel Tunnel between the UK and the rest of Europe – has been strongly criticised for the chaos caused by severe winter weather before Christmas.
Five trains broke down in the tunnel and 2,500 people were left for hours without food and water in carriages that were dark and unventilated.
An independent report says Eurostar had not properly prepared its trains for the heavy snow on the French side. The snow got under the trains’ winter cladding and then melted as they passed into the warmth of the tunnel. The resulting condensation caused electrical problems.
The report said Eurostar had no working plan to evacuate multiple broken-down trains. The result was that passengers were left in the dark – literally and figuratively, because they were given little or no information. One of the trains was carrying families back from Disneyland, Paris. Parents had to strip children to their underwear as the heat rose in the darkened carriages.
Eurostar’s Chief Executive, Richard Brown, said the company would be investing more than £30million ($47million) in order to implement all the review’s 21 recommendations.
“I recognise that we let down a considerable number of our passengers very badly with the disruption and breakdowns before Christmas, and, once again, I’d like to say, on behalf of Eurostar, I am very, very sorry,” he said.
by Andy Moreton
The Spanish capital, Madrid, is one of a number of destinations to which the train is expected become a viable alternative to the plane within Western Europe during the next decade.
It’s thought a high-speed Paris–Madrid train link will be in place within the next two years, bringing the journey time between the two cities to 5½ hours.
Although a flight would take less than half that time, you have to add several hours for checking-in, airport security and travel to and from the city centres. The rail industry is hoping to attract passengers who are becoming disenchanted with this ‘airport hassle factor’.
The German train operator, Deutsche Bahn, is in talks with Eurotunnel about a direct train route to and from London through the tunnel, while Eurostar – which currently runs services from London St. Pancras direct to Paris and Brussels – has also made no secret of its interest in taking trains farther afield.
There would certainly be no lack of support from the respective governments as trains are seen to be more environmentally friendly than planes in short-haul travel.
by Andy Moreton
Luxique offers a wide choice of luxury hotels in Madrid, from the traditional Westin Palace to the quirky and fun Room Mate Mario.
My friends in mainland Europe and the United States – where they have proper snow falls – will no doubt be amused at how the UK becomes paralysed by a relatively modest dusting of the white stuff.
And as far as travel is concerned, no-one has felt the cold blast of winter more than Eurostar, the rail system that links the UK with France and Belgium through the Channel Tunnel.
Services have been literally frozen since Friday evening when some 2,000 people were trapped for up to 16 hours in stationary trains in the tunnel. When they finally emerged, the furious passengers accused Eurostar of leaving them without food, water, light and information.
Snow getting into the power systems caused the problems. Wintry conditions in France led to the snow building up underneath the carriages because snow shields proved ineffective. When the trains entered the heat of the tunnel, the snow melted into the electrics.
With Christmas approaching, it’s a peak time for Eurostar with 20,000 people due to travel back and forth through the Channel each day. The company has announced an immediate independent review of the problems and said it hopes the service will be running again by Tuesday (22nd).
by Andy Moreton
