Celebrating the opening of the world’s longest railway tunnel: the Gotthard!

Tomorrow, on 1st June 2016, 17 years after the first blast in the main shaft, the world’s longest railway tunnel will officially open.

To celebrate the momentous occasion, Switzerland will invite guests of honour from Switzerland and abroad to the opening event and welcome the entire population for an unforgettable public festival.

An opening ceremony befitting the grand scale of the project will present Swiss values such as innovation, precision and reliability to the world. During the following weekend on 4 and 5 June 2016, the anticipated 50,000 to 100,000 visitors will be offered a unique programme at the festival sites on either end of the 57-kilometre tunnel.

The highlights of the festival: tunnel rides with the Gotthard shuttle train at up to 200 km/h, presentations by Swiss artists and an interactive multimedia exhibition on the Gotthard.

On 4 and 5 June, the Swiss will be celebrating the opening of the Gotthard Base Tunnel – the world’s longest railway tunnel measuring 57 kilometres – at four different festival sites around the tunnel entrances.

The celebrations will be held at Erstfeld and Rynächt in the north and Pollegio and Biasca in the south. Admission to the festival sites is free, but you will need a ticket for the journeys through the tunnel on the Gottardo shuttle trains.

Be a part of this historic event and secure tickets for the Gottardo shuttle trains at www.sbb.ch/ticketshop or from the usual SBB sales points.

The special ticket, which includes the Gottardo shuttle train, is available as a round trip ticket and is valid from your home town. Before buying your tickets, you need to choose one of the routes. If you want to visit the festival sites in the south first and then travel north on the Gottardo shuttle train, choose the ticket option “Public transport ticket including south–north Gottardo shuttle train”, but if you want to start your round trip in the north and travel south on the Gottardo shuttle train, choose the option “Public transport ticket north–south”. It is only possible to travel through the Gotthard Base Tunnel in one direction; you must continue your journey via the Gotthard mountain route. Tickets are valid for one day.

Click here for the detailed programme with all the information about the festival and accompanying attractions, the Gottardo shuttles and how to get there and back.