World's longest Gotthard Tunnel in Switzerland to be closed for months

(Patria) - The Gotthard Alptransit Tunnel in Switzerland, the longest in the world, will be closed for months, officials announced after 16 wagons of a Swiss freight train derailed last week, destroying eight kilometers of track.

Passengers using the train for transport between the northern part of Switzerland and its southernmost part will have to seek alternative transportation, reports London's The Guardian.

Schockzustand am Gotthard-Basistunnelhttps://t.co/7YQsZ4Ffgx
Genau an der Spurwechselstelle der beiden Alptransit-Röhren in Höhe von Faido entgleiste am Donnerstag ein Güterzug und riss weite Teile des unterirdischen Gleisbetts auf. Mehrere Gefahrgutwagen im hinteren Teil des... pic.twitter.com/9KKyVuC7VV

— Logisticsinnovation.org (@Logisticsinnov1) August 12, 2023

The sixteen wagons that derailed in the 57-kilometer-long Gotthard Tunnel are still stuck in the tunnel, there were no injuries, but significant damage was caused, Swiss Railways announced.

This tunnel is a key transport route for goods and cargo, especially between Germany in the north and Italy in the south.

In 2022, more than two-thirds of rail freight traffic through the Alps passed through the Gotthard Tunnel, according to the Swiss government.