Avast ye scurvy dogs! A mishap hath befallen the longest rail tunnel! 'Tis closed 'til September, arr!
2023-11-02
Arrr, me hearties! Switzerland be keepin' thar mighty Gotthard rail tunnel closed till next September. The damage from that August derailment be worse than ye ol' swashbucklers thought. Avast ye, landlubbers!
Arrr, me hearties! Listen up, I've got some news to share about the world's longest rail tunnel. It seems that this grand tunnel won't be fully reopened for train traffic until next September. Aye, that's right, they be pushin' back the target date for repairs of damage caused by a cargo train goin' off the rails. The Swiss federal railway operator, known as SBB, says the damage be much worse than they first thought. Arr, they be sayin' that the rail tracks need to be completely replaced over a stretch of 4.2 miles. This be no small task, me mateys. It be takin' longer than they anticipated, and they reckon it'll cost them a pretty penny – around 100 to 130 million Swiss francs, to be exact. Right now, there be some limited passenger and cargo train traffic through the tunnel, but the full reopening be delayed. Aye, the repair work will continue for the rest of the year, and maybe even longer. No one be hurt in the derailment, but the damage be considerable. They be tearin' up large swaths of track and an evacuation portal, me hearties. This tunnel be mighty important for goods and cargo, especially between Germany and Italy. Last year, more than two-thirds of rail freight traffic through the Alps passed through this tunnel. So ye can see why gettin' it back in shipshape be a top priority for the Swiss government and SBB. But fear not, me hearties! They'll be fixin' this tunnel eventually, and we'll be sailin' through it once again. Until then, be patient and keep a weather eye on the horizon for updates.