[CH] New Albula Tunnel opened

[bahnause]

The Rhaetian Railway officially opened the new 5860-metre-long Albula Tunnel into the Engadin with a big celebration. The structure replaces the previous 121-year-old tunnel.

The Albula Tunnel has been at the heart of the rail link to the Upper Engadine, a Unesco World Heritage route, since 1903. The new tunnel was built because the old tunnel was in need of renovation.

The tunnel construction took ten years and cost 407 million Swiss francs. A total of 250,000 cubic meters of rock were excavated, the volume of 250 detached houses. The project was 85 percent financed by the federal government, with 15 percent coming from the canton of Graubünden. The first scheduled train will travel through the new tunnel next Wednesday (June 12).

 

[stuu]

Good news... what do they plan to do with the old one?

 

[AlbertBeale]

Good news... what do they plan to do with the old one?

It's being converted into a safety tunnel, with cross-passages linking it to the new tunnel.

 

[LNW-GW Joint]

I'm in CH next week, but on an itinerary which doesn't reach the RhB. Grrr...

Plenty of detail and pictures of the new tunnel here:

Rebuilding of the Albula Tunnel

The new Albula Tunnel of the Rhaetian Railway, which will be replacing the existing tunnel from 2024 onwards, runs between the Albula Valley and Engadin. Building work on it started in 2014.

www.rhb.ch

 

[popeter45]

It's being converted into a safety tunnel, with cross-passages linking it to the new tunnel.

suprised at that if the new tunnel is also single track, why not use both and made it dual track?

 

[Gag Halfrunt]

Perhaps having two running tunnels would require the RhB to build a safety tunnel between them.

There appears to be enough space for a third tunnel in the middle, so that might be the long-term objective.

The project

Find out here about the reasons behind the new construction work, how it is to be made compatible with our World Heritage status, and what the approach to safety looks like.

www.rhb.ch

 

[Tester]

I shall do this on Friday, combined with walking from Preda to Bergün and the historic train Filisur - Davos.

I wasn't aware of it, so thanks to the OP for the info - shows the value of the forum!

 

[LNW-GW Joint]

Trying to see if I could change my plans to do a return trip through the new tunnel on the day it opens in normal service (12th), I discovered that the fastest way to reach St Moritz from Zürich was actually via Landquart and Klosters, then the Vereina tunnel and Zernez, not the classic route via Chur and the Albula.
So I could have done the Vereina tunnel one way (which opened in 1999 after my last trip on the RhB) and the new Albula tunnel in the other direction.
However, the weather over most of Switzerland on that day looks foul, so I won't change my plans.
Great tunnel builders, the Swiss.

 

[Tester]

I am in the new tunnel right now - of course with 4g signal!

I was originally going to do it tomorrow on grounds of weather forecast, but that changed, favouring today.

Edit.....

Now at Preda - here is the view from the platform end.

The old tunnel track is severed at the other (Spinas) end.