The Ceneri Base Tunnel (CBT, ) is a Swiss railway base tunnel in the canton of Ticino. It passes under Monte Ceneri between Camorino in the Magadino Flat and Vezia near Lugano; it bypasses the former high-altitude rail route through the Monte Ceneri Tunnel. It is composed of two single-track tunnels, each  long. It is part of the New Railway Link through the Alps (NRLA) project for faster north-south rail links across the Swiss Alps.

An exploration tunnel near Sigirino was excavated between 1999 and 2003 to gain geological data on the rock formations at the Ceneri Base Tunnel's level. Based on those data, it was decided to excavate most of the tunnel with traditional blasting methods and only drill a small part using a faster tunnel boring machine (TBM). Both the CBT and Gotthard Base Tunnels were built under contract from the Swiss Federal Government by Alptransit Gotthard AG. Construction of the two single-track bores started during March 2006. The official start of the CBT's construction phase was celebrated on 2 June 2006 with the laying of a foundation stone. The final breakthroughs took place on 21 January 2016 (west tube) and 26 January 2016 (east tube). Rail service started on 4 September 2020 and was operationalised for freight in December 2020.

On opening, the Ceneri Base Tunnel has become an important southern feeder for the Gotthard Base Tunnel as the existing, proportionally steep and curvy track over Monte Ceneri is not suitable for high speeds or heavy freight trains. Another feeder is the Luino link along Lake Maggiore which is about to be upgraded by Italy in prospect of the opening of the Gotthard Base Tunnel. Both links meet in the Magadino Flat in the future Camorino Node (). The CBT will ease local train traffic, mainly between the two major cities Locarno and Lugano but also between Bellinzona and Lugano. Travel time on the TILO, an S-Bahn, from Locarno to Lugano dropped from 50 to 22 minutes.

History

Background

The Ceneri Base Tunnel is the lowest of the routes through the Ceneri axis and connects Camorino in the Magadino Flat to Vezia near Lugano. It allows traffic to bypass the conventional high-level railway running through the historic Monte Ceneri Tunnel. It forms only one element of a wider effort, commonly referred to as the New Rail Link through the Alps (NRLA) programme, which is being developed by AlpTransit Gotthard AG (ATG), a wholly owned subsidiary of the Swiss Federal Railways (SBB). When it became operational in December 2020, the Ceneri Base Tunnel began working together with the longer Gotthard Base Tunnel to significantly shorten the journey times between the Northern Swiss city of Zurich and the Northern Italian city of Milan by providing a flatter route for freight and passenger trains than previous conventional lines.

The Ceneri Base Tunnel carries a pair of parallel bores, each containing a single-track, set  apart from one another and connected by cross passages at evenly spaced intervals of . Stretching between the towns of Camorino and Vezia, it possesses a total length of ; the eastern bore has a length of  and the west bore is  long. An operations center controlling ventilation and logistical activities has been constructed at Sigirino. Operationally, the Ceneri Base Tunnel is anticipated to be used by in excess of 300 trains each day travelling in both directions. It shall be furnished with ETCS Level 2 signalling, allowing for trains to traverse it at speeds of up to . 
Although the technical maximum speed is  through the Ceneri tunnel, the maximal authorized speed has been reduced to  for ecological and economical reasons, while the operating speed of passenger trains is restricted to  in order to accommodate the freight traffic, with the possibility to accelerate up to 230 km/h in case of delay.

For handling emergency situations in the Ceneri Base Tunnel, the Swiss Federal Railways has acquired a fleet of dedicated rescue trains; these are equipped with specialised fire fighting equipment and other useful facilities, such as independent air supplies.

The Ceneri Base Tunnel was approved in July 2001 by the Swiss Federal Council, clearing the way for detailing planning activity to proceed. Further Parliamentary approval of the selected route for the tunnel was received in 2003, and the first funds towards construction were released during 2005. During April 2007, AlpTransit Gotthard AG awarded a Sfr85m ($91.52m) contract for the construction of the first underground element of the tunnel to Consorzio Monte Ceneri (CMC) JV, a consortium of CSC, Lugano, Frutiger, Thun, Rothpletz, Lienhard & Cie, and Aarau. During June 2009, the Board of Directors of AlpTransit Gotthard AG announced that it had awarded the principal contract for the tunnel's construction to the Consorzio Condotte Cossi consortium. At the time, the tunnel was expected to be operational by December 2020. This contract was valued at Sfr987 million ($1.6 billion). The estimated total cost for the Ceneri Base Tunnel is Sfr2.4 billion ($2.58 billion).

Construction

During June 2006, construction work on the tunnel officially commenced. In November 2008, the excavation of a  adit tunnel was completed, involving the excavation of  of hard rock. A tunnel boring machine (TBM), provided by Robbins Company and equipped with  cutters, was used to bore the adit tunnel over the course of ten months during which it advanced at a rate of  per day. During the spring of 2010, work commenced upon the boring of the Ceneri Base Tunnel itself. During March 2010, it was announced that blasting had begun on the main drives of the twin-bores. By the end of the year, the rate of tunneling had reportedly attained its full speed. A combination of conventional drilling and blasting techniques were used to bore approximately  of the tunnel (including the two main tubes and access tunnels), while the remainder was bored using a TBM.

Breakthrough in the west tube between Sigirino and Vezia occurred on 17 March 2015. Breakthrough in the east tube between Sigirino and Vezia occurred on 30 March 2015. On 21 January 2016, breakthrough was achieved in the west bore between Sigirino and Vigana, while the breakthrough in the east bore between Sigirino and Vigana occurred on 26 January 2016. That same day, it was announced that the excavation process had been completed, and the installation of railway infrastructure was the next major stage of the work. During February 2017, the final concrete block was placed in a ceremony marking the tunnel becoming structurally complete.

During August 2013, the Mons Ceneris Consortium, headed by Mancini & Marti, was awarded a Sfr96 million ($103.36 million) contract to provide railway track and logistics for the tunnel. That same month, the Cablex-led CPC Consortium won a Sfr129 million ($138.89 million) contract to provide railway systems and overall tunnel co-ordination services. The planning, supply, installation and commissioning of the tunnel control systems, which are to be controlled from a control centre at Pollegio, has been contracted to Tunnel Control Systems. The awarding of these contracts was not without controversy; a pair of appeals were subsequently upheld by the Federal Supreme Court of Switzerland regarding the awarding process. At one point, it looked as if the completion of the Ceneri Base Tunnel may be delayed as a consequence of legal disputes. However, the dispute was settled during September 2014, which unblocked the awarding of contracts as well as allowing for work to proceed.

During 2017 the installation of the track, electrical supply cables, telecommunications and radio systems, automation systems, overhead lines, and various safety and control systems commenced. During August 2017, the first sections of ballastless track were laid in the northern end of the eastern bore. On 30 May 2018, the final railroad tie was laid, meaning that trains can now travel the entire length of the tunnel.

The tunnel was officially opened on 4 September 2020. Final testing concluded with a rescue test in October 2020, and routine operations began in December 2020. The construction has cost CHF 2.5bn.

The monthly progress update graphic was available online.

See also
NRLA
Gotthard Base Tunnel
Lötschberg Base Tunnel
Zimmerberg Base Tunnel

References

External links

AlpTransit Gotthard AG - Official company site
AlpTransit Gotthard AG - Status of construction: Ceneri
AlpTransit Portal of the Swiss Federal Archives

Tunnels in Ticino
Railway tunnels in Switzerland
Tunnels in the Alps
Base tunnels
Gotthard railway
High-speed railway lines in Switzerland
Tunnels completed in 2020
체네리 베이스 터널(CBT, )은 스위스 티치노주의 철도 베이스 터널이다. 이 터널은 마가디노 플랫의 카모리노와 루가노 근처의 베치아 사이 몬테 체네리 아래를 통과한다. 몬테 체네리 터널을 통해 이전의 고지대 철도 경로를 우회한다. 길이가 각각 15.4km인 2개의 단일 트랙 터널로 구성되어 있다. 스위스 알프스를 가로지르는 더 빠른 남북철도 연결을 위해 알프스를 횡단하는 새로운 철도 연결 프로젝트(NRLA)의 일부이다.

시기리노 근처의 탐사 터널은 1999년과 2003년 사이에 체네리 베이스 터널 수준의 암석층에 대한 지질학적 데이터를 얻기 위해 굴착되었다. 이러한 데이터를 바탕으로 기존의 발파 방식으로 대부분의 터널을 굴착하고, 더 빠른 TBM(터널 보링 머신)을 사용하여 일부만 시추하기로 결정했다. CBT와 고트하르트 베이스 터널은 모두 알프트란짓 고트하르트 AG의 스위스 연방 정부 계약에 따라 건설되었다. 2개의 단일 트랙 보어 건설은 2006년 3월에 시작되었다. CBT 건설 단계의 공식 시작은 2006년 6월 2일에 기초석을 깔면서 준공식을 하였다. 최종 돌파는 2016년 1월 21일(서관)과 2016년 1월 26일(동관)에 이루어졌다. 철도 서비스는 2020년 9월 4일에 시작되어 2020년 12월에 화물을 위해 운영되었다.

개통 시 체네리 베이스 터널은 고트하르트 베이스 터널의 중요한 남쪽 지류가 되었다. 몬테 체네리를 가로지르는 기존의 비례적으로 가파르고 굽은 트랙은 고속, 대형 화물 열차에 적합하지 않기 때문이다. 또 다른 피더는 마조레 호수를 따라 있는 루이노 링크로, 이탈리아에서 고트하르트 베이스 터널의 개통을 예상하여 업그레이드하려고 한다. 두 링크는 미래의 카모리노 노드()의 마가디노 플랫에서 만난다. CBT는 주로 두 개의 주요 도시인 로카르노와 루가노 사이뿐만 아니라 벨린초나와 루가노 사이의 지역 열차 교통을 완화할 것이다. TILO의 이동시간, S-반, 로카르노에서 루가노까지가 50분에서 22분으로 단축되었다.

역사
체네리 베이스 터널은 체네리 축을 통과하는 경로 중 가장 낮고 마가디노 플랫의 카모리노와 루가노 근처의 베치아를 연결한다. 그것은 교통이 역사적인 몬테 체네리 터널을 통과하는 기존의 높은 고도의 철도를 우회할 수 있도록 한다. 스위스 연방 철도의 전액 출자 자회사인 알프트란짓 고트하르트 AG (ATG)가 개발 중인 NRLA(New Rail Link through the Alps) 프로그램이라고 하는 광범위한 노력의 한 요소일 뿐이다.(SBB). 2020년 12월에 운영이 시작되었을 때, 체네리 베이스 터널은 더 긴 고트하르트 베이스 터널과 협력하여 기존의 노선보다 화물과 여객 열차의 경로를 더 평탄하게 제공함으로써 스위스 북부의 취리히와 이탈리아 북부의 밀라노 사이의 여행 시간을 크게 단축하기 시작했다.

체네리 베이스 터널에는 서로 40m 떨어져 있고 325m의 균일한 간격으로 교차 통로로 연결된 단일 트랙이 포함된 한 쌍의 평행 구멍이 있다. 카모리노와 베치아 마을 사이에 걸쳐 있으며, 총 길이는 39.78km이다. 동쪽 구멍의 길이는 15.45km이고, 서쪽 구멍의 길이는 15.28km이다. 환기 및 물류 활동을 제어하는 운영 센터가 시기리노에 건설되었다. 운영상 체네리 베이스 터널은 양방향으로 운행하는 매일 300개 이상의 열차가 사용할 것으로 예상된다. ETCS 레벨2 신호가 제공되어야 하며, 열차가 최대 시속 250km의 속도로 이를 통과할 수 있다. 체네리 베이스 터널의 비상 상황을 처리하기 위해 스위스 연방 철도는 전용 구조 열차를 확보했다. 이들은 특수 소방 장비와 독립적인 공기 공급 장치와 같은 기타 유용한 시설을 갖추고 있다.

체네리 베이스 터널은 2001년 7월 스위스 연방 위원회의 승인을 받아 세부 계획 활동을 진행할 수 있는 길을 열었다. 터널로 선택한 경로에 대한 의회 추가 승인이 2003년에 접수되었으며, 건설을 위한 첫 번째 자금이 2005년에 집행되었다. 2007년 4월 동안 알프트란짓 고트하르트 AG는 최초의 지하 구간 건설을 위해 Sfr85m($91.52m) 계약을 체결했다. 계약 대상은 루가노에 기반을 둔 CMC JV(Consorzio Monte Ceneri), CSC 콘소시움, 툰에 기반을 둔 프루티거 AG(Frutiger), 아라우에 기반을 둔 로트블레츠(Rothpletz), Lienhard & Cie였다. 2009년 6월 동안 알프트란짓 고트하르트 AG의 이사회는 터널 건설에 대한 주요 계약을 Consorzio Condotte Cossi 컨소시엄에 수주했다고 발표했다. 당시 터널은 2020년 12월까지 운영을 시작할 예정이었다.  이 계약의 가치는 16억 달러에 상응한다. 체네리 베이스 터널의 예상 총비용은 25억 8000만 달러이다.

각주

외부 링크 

 Alptransit Gotthard AG (공식) 

스위스의 철도 터널
알프스산맥의 터널
베이스 터널
고트하르트 철도