Monte Ceneri Base Tunnel, Switzerland
Trackwork - Monte Ceneri Base Tunnel, Switzerland
The Monte Ceneri Base Tunnel, located in the Canton of Ticino between Bellinzona and Lugano, extends for 15.4 km from the northern portal at Vigana (Camorino) to the southern portal at Vezia.
Together with the Gotthard Base Tunnel (57 km, the longest in the world), the project forms part of the New Transalpine Railway (NRLA), a major new rail link between Southern and Northern Europe through Switzerland (Gotthard axis).
The tunnel consists of two single-track tubes, each with a diameter of 7.5 m, spaced up to approximately 40 m apart and interconnected every 325 m by cross passages. The entire Ceneri tunnel system extends over 39.8 km. The HS/HC line allows a maximum speed of up to 250 km/h.
Monte Ceneri Tunnel: Key Features
GCF’s work on the railway technology lots included the design, development, manufacturing, delivery, and installation of both ballastless and ballasted track systems.
In particular, track installation in the two tunnel tubes—except for a short initial section at both portals—was carried out on a concrete slab track system using LVT (Low Vibration Track) blocks, as already implemented in the Gotthard Base Tunnel.
For this type of project, GCF developed an innovative track construction system on concrete slab, employing specialized solutions for the supply and casting of the infill concrete.
This approach made it possible to achieve highly efficient logistics management, despite the complexity of access and operations within the tunnel environment.
