The world's longest tunnel. The world's longest tunnel opened in Switzerland The longest road tunnel in terms of length

The relief of the earth's surface is not perfectly flat, but is almost always complex, so when laying roads it is almost impossible to do without tunnels. The prototypes of tunnels in ancient times were mines; with the help of this military stratagem one could sneak behind the enemy's back unnoticed and fall on his shoulders. Today's tunnels, for the most part, serve completely different purposes. There are a variety of tunnels, differing in length, location and structure. What is currently the longest tunnel in the world?

10. Laerdal Tunnel, Norway (24,510 m)

The Trans-Siberian Railway or the Great Siberian Road, which connects the Russian capital Moscow with Vladivostok, until recently bore the honorary title of...

In this case, we are talking about a road tunnel that shortens the route from the municipality of Laerdal to another municipality of Aurland (both in the county of Sogn og Fjordane, Western Norway). The tunnel is part of the European highway E16, connecting Oslo with Bergen. Construction of this tunnel began in 1995 and was completed in 2000. At that time, it became the longest road tunnel in the world, surpassing the famous Gotthard road tunnel by as much as 8 km. Above the tunnel there are mountains with an average height of about 1600 meters.
The Lärdal Tunnel has a unique feature - three large-volume artificial grottoes are chosen in it at the same distance from each other. These grottoes divide the tunnel itself into 4 approximately equal sections. This is not a whim of the architects, but the purpose of the grottoes is to relieve fatigue from drivers driving for a long time in completely monotonous tunnel conditions, and here they can stop and rest.

9. Iwate-Ichinohe, Japan (25,810 m)

The Japanese tunnel connecting the capital with the city of Aomori, at the time of its opening in 2002, it was the longest Japanese railway tunnel until it was overtaken by the Lötschberg tunnel. This tunnel is located 545 kilometers from Tokyo, halfway between Hachinohe and Morioka, and the Chohoku express trains run through it. We started thinking about its construction in 1988, and started it in 1991. The structure was ready for operation in 2000, but the line began operating only in 2002. The tunnel goes down a maximum of 200 meters.

8. Hakkoda, Japan (26,455 m)

The Hakkoda railway tunnel is only a little longer than the previous one. He was a kind of pioneer - before him, there were no long tunnels in the world through which trains could simultaneously move in different directions.

7. Taihangshan, China (27,848 m)

In 2007, a new Taihangshan tunnel was put into operation in China, passing through the thickness of the mountain range of the same name. Before the construction of the New Guan Jiao, it was the longest Chinese tunnel. It became an element of the high-speed railway that connected the capital of the eastern province of Hebei, Shijiach-Zhuang, with the capital of the adjacent Shanxi province from the west, the city of Taiyuan. If previously it took 6 hours to get from one city to another, now an hour is enough.

6. Guadarrama, Spain (28,377 m)

In the same 2007, but in Spain, the longest tunnel in the country, Guadarrama, was opened, which connected the capital of the country, Madrid, with Valladolid. It began construction in 2002, so it is obvious that this was done at a fairly fast pace. This is a rather complex technical structure, which also contains two separate tunnels. Thanks to this, trains run along it simultaneously in different directions. It is especially worth noting that high-speed trains of the AVE system are used here. After the launch of the tunnel, it became possible to get from one city to another in just a few minutes. This was especially liked by tourists, who began to visit Valladolid from the capital more often.

Large and very large objects, animals, people have always attracted people, and we are equally interested in man-made objects, for example, the Great China...

5. New Guan Jiao, China (32,645 m)

This is China's longest railway tunnel. At the same time, being located, as befits an underground tunnel, it is located at a very decent height above sea level (from 3324 meters to 3381 meters). And all because it is part of the second line of the Qinghai-Tibet Railway, laid in the Guan Jiao Mountains of the Chinese province of Qinghai. In fact, there are two separate one-way tunnels here. This tunnel took 7 years to build, and it was put into operation at the very end of 2014. Trains are capable of rushing through these tunnels at a speed of 160 km/h.

4. Lötschberg, Switzerland (34,577 m)

The Lötschberg railway tunnel is located on the line of the same name passing through the Alps, and it is located 400 meters deeper than the Lötschberg road tunnel. Passenger and freight trains travel through this one of the world's longest land tunnels. It passes under cities such as Bern, Frutigen, Valais and Raron. This is a fairly new tunnel, because it was completed only in 2006, and already in June of the following year it was officially opened. The most modern drilling technologies were used during its excavation, so it was possible to break through it in less than two years. Now over 20 thousand Swiss people use it every week, trying to quickly get to the thermal resorts in Valais.
The arrival of Lötschberg has significantly reduced the amount of traffic congestion in the area, since previously trucks and trucks had to bypass Switzerland, making a large circle to travel just from Valais to Bern. It is curious that in the tunnel there is a source of hot underground water, which the Swiss also do not waste, but use it to heat the greenhouse, where tropical fruits grow thanks to this.

3. Eurotunnel, France/UK (50,450 m)

This Channel Tunnel is a double-track railway tunnel that runs 39 kilometers under the English Channel. Thanks to him, the island of Great Britain was connected to the continent by rail. Since then, it has become possible to board a train in Paris and be in London in two and a quarter hours. The train stays in the tunnel itself for 20-35 minutes.
The grand opening of the tunnel took place on May 6, 1994. It was attended by the leaders of two countries - French President Francois Mitterrand and Queen Elizabeth II of Great Britain. The Eurotunnel holds the record for underwater tunnels and is also the longest international tunnel. Its work is managed by the Eurostar company. The American Society of Civil Engineers was full of compliments and even compared the Eurotunnel to one of the seven modern wonders of the world.

2. Seikan, Japan (53,850 m)

This incredibly long Japanese railway tunnel also has an underwater section that is 23.3 kilometers long. It goes 240 meters underground, resulting in 100 meters below the seabed. The tunnel passes under the Sangar Strait and connects Aomori Prefecture (Honshu Island) and the island of Hokkaido. It is part of the Kaikyo and Hokkaido Shinkansen of the local railway company.
In length it is second only to the Gotthard Tunnel, and in terms of its location under the seabed it is the leader in the world. The name of the tunnel contains the first hieroglyphs of the names of the cities that it connects - Amori and Hakodate, they are just pronounced differently in Japanese. The Seikan Tunnel became the second underwater railway tunnel after the Kammon Tunnel in Japan, and it connects the islands of Kyushu and Honshu under the Kammon Strait.

Hydroelectric power plants, or HPPs, generate electricity using the energy of falling water. Hydroelectric power stations most often appear on the largest rivers, which...

1. Gotthard Tunnel, Switzerland (57,091 m)

This railway tunnel, dug in the Swiss Alps, when adding its own length with the length of pedestrian and service passages, will stretch for 153.4 kilometers. At the northern end it exits near the village of Erstfeld, and the southern exit is located near the village of Bodio. The construction of the eastern part was completed in October 2010, and the western part in March 2011, after which it became the longest railway tunnel in the world.
Thanks to its construction, trans-Alpine rail transport became possible, and north-west Italy was able to switch from more polluting road transport to cleaner and cheaper rail transport. Travel time from Zurich to Milan has been reduced by almost an hour. The tunnel was opened in June 2016. The company that controlled its construction, Alp Transit Gotthard, handed it over to the Swiss Federal Railways in fully operational condition in December of the same year, and on December 11 its commercial operation began.

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Humanity can boast of great achievements. One of them is tunnels. These are truly true architectural wonders. Their development and improvement has occurred and will always occur.

Who and when invented the tunnels is unknown. It is believed that such structures originate from caves, which people in ancient times used as homes.

The modern role of buildings has changed somewhat. In the civilized period, tunnels are used as secret passages, underground planes. They were often used for shelter from enemies.

In modern times, the role of tunnels has changed significantly. It is now a prime environment for high-speed travel. The structure of structures has a standard design in different countries. But the length and arrangement of such tunnels can differ significantly.

1. Gotthard Base Tunnel

Its length is 57.00 km. It is often called the Gotthard Base Tunnel. Used as the main railway structure in Switzerland. Its length is the maximum in the whole world.

If you include all passages (pedestrian and service), its length will be about 152 km. The southern end of the structure is located near the village of Bodio, the northern end is located near the village of Erstfed. The structure was originally created for railway needs. With the help of such a tunnel it was possible to create a communication through the Alps.

At the moment, this message is closed - the opening of the structure is planned for the end of 2017. In general, the construction of the tunnel through the Alps lasted for 14 years.

2. Seikan

The length of the structure is almost 54 meters (53.9 meters). The longest underwater tunnel in the world. Built to connect the two Japanese islands of Hokkaido and Honshu.

Translated, its name means “Majestic spectacle” and this is true. The structure has an underwater part (about 23.3 km), since the tunnel runs under the Sangay Strait.

3. Eurotunnel, 49.94 km long

The structure is laid under the English Channel. Connects Folkestone (Kent from the UK) and Calais (part of France).

The tunnel is not the longest in the world, but it has the longest underwater part (as much as 39 km, which is 14.7 km more than Seikan). The tunnel officially opened in 1994. Since then, it has been working flawlessly every day, ferrying millions of people across the channel.

4. Lechberg, 34.70 km long

Representative of the longest land tunnel. Located on the Bern-Milan line, in Switzerland. The design was created in the middle of the 20th century. It managed to connect the area of ​​Bern and Interlaken with the area of ​​Brig and Zermatt.

5. Guadaram tunnel, 28.37 km long

Takes 5th place in the ranking. This is a Spanish railway project that was created in the early 2000s. Its official opening took place in December 2007.

Since that time, people have had a unique opportunity to travel from Madrid to Valladolid and back without any problems. Received the title of the longest and most sought-after device in all of Spain.

6. Iwate-Ichinohe Tunnel, the duration of which is 25.81 km.

This is an example of an underground railway structure in Japan. It connects two distant cities - Tokyo and Aomori. The opening of the structure took place in 2002. The tunnel received the title of the longest underground railway structure in the world.

7. Hakkoda, 26.5 km long

It is one of the longest standing land structures in Japan. The length of its railway section is almost 27 km.

8. Laerdal tunnel

The length of this structure is about 24.5 km. It is rightly called the longest automobile tunnel. Built in 5 years, opened in 2000. It connects two remote municipalities - Laerdal and Aurland, which are located in Norway.

The tunnel is part of the European Highway between Oslo and Bergen. The mountains through which the structure passes can sometimes reach 1600 meters and higher.

The peculiarity of the design is the presence of 3 large artificial caves (grottoes). They are located approximately at an equal distance from each other. Thus, the entire tunnel is divided into 4 approximately equal sections. This was done on purpose. In this way, it was possible to minimize driver stress.

It has been proven that prolonged driving in monotonous conditions greatly tires the driver. It is also convenient to turn around and stop for a rest in such grottoes.

Special designer lighting of the grottoes and a special route design make the trip through the tunnel more exciting. The duration of movement around the structure is no more than 20 minutes.

9. Daishimizu Tunnel, length 22.20 km

Japanese tunnel created for the railway connection between Niigata and Tokyo. All construction work was completed in 1978. It went down in history not only as the longest, but also the most tragic tunnel. The fact is that during its construction there was a huge fire in the building.

As a result, 16 workers died.
Thanks to the opening of the structure, the time spent on travel was reduced by approximately an hour and a half. In addition, the construction of the tunnel made it possible to find a spring of drinking water. Thanks to this, the production of natural drinking water began near the tunnel.

10. Wushaoling Tunnel, length - 21.05 km

A one-of-a-kind double railway tunnel that was opened in 2006. Located in northwest China. Created to connect the two ends of Gansu Province.

The design made it possible to reduce the distance between Dakaigou and Longgou by 30.5 km. Received the title of the longest railway structure in all of China. Capable of accepting trains at speeds of 160 km/h. The maximum depth of the structure is 1100 m.

Humanity plans to build the longest, most comfortable tunnel of the future. We are talking about the Japan-Korea tunnel. Its length is expected to be about 187 km. The design should connect Japan and the southern part of Korea. Negotiations on the start of construction work have already begun, but are taking a long time.

Tunnels have always been considered irreplaceable structures necessary for safe passage or passage underground. But if earlier such architectural masterpieces helped people quietly penetrate enemy territory, today their construction is connected with other goals. Moreover, they differ from each other in structure, location and length. We decided to tell you today what the longest tunnels in the world are.

The longest Japanese tunnel

The longest railway tunnel to date is located in the Land of the Rising Sun. It is called Seikan, which means “Majestic Spectacle” in Japanese. The tunnel is quite impressive in size and even has a part hidden under water. Thus, its total length is 53.85 km, and the underwater fragment corresponds to a length of 23.3 km. That is why, in addition to the title of one of the largest land structures, Seikan also has another title - the longest underwater tunnel in the world.

The structure itself, which took at least 40 years to build, was erected in 1988. It contains two stations. However, despite the power of the building, Seikan is currently not used as often as before. According to analysts, this is due to an increase in railway fares.

Seikan is a tunnel whose depth is 240 m. This marvelous creation of man is located under the famous. According to the designers, the tunnel unites Hokkaido.

Few people know that the original impetus that led to the creation of this giant was a typhoon, as a result of which 5 passenger ferries were wrecked. As a result of this disaster, more than 1,150 tourists, including crew members, died on board just one of them.

The longest and most land connection in the world

The longest tunnels in the world can be divided into the following types:

• aboveground;
• underground;
• automobile, or road;
• railway;
• underwater.

Lamberg, once built in Switzerland, is considered one of the longest above-ground tunnels. Its length is 34 km. Trains can easily travel along it, sometimes reaching speeds of 200 km/h. It is noteworthy that this structure helps Swiss travelers arrive in one of the most popular resort areas of the country - Valle - in a couple of hours. According to experienced tourists, this is where numerous thermal springs are located.

It is interesting that, in addition to its main task, Lamberg, like the other longest tunnels in the world, also performs a number of others. In particular, near the building itself there are warm ones that help to heat Tropenhaus Frutigen - a nearby greenhouse and tropical crops growing on its territory.

One of the largest automobile subways

The longest road tunnel in the world is Lerdal. This 24.5 km long structure is a kind of connecting bridge between the municipalities of Airland and Laerdal, located in western Norway. Moreover, the Lärdal tunnel is considered a continuation of the famous E16 highway, which is located between Bergen and Oslo.

Construction of the famous tunnel began in mid-1995, and it ended closer to 2000. From that moment on, the structure was recognized as one of the longest automobile subways, leaving behind the famous Gotthard Tunnel by as much as 8 km.

Interestingly, the construction passes through mountains whose height is above 1600 m. Thanks to the precise calculations of the architects, experts managed to reduce the load on drivers moving through the tunnel. And this was achieved by creating three additional grottoes, equidistant from each other. At the same time, these artificial caves divide the free space under the building into four long sections. This is such an unusual and longest tunnel in the world.

Third longest railway tunnel

The Eurotunnel is considered the third longest among other subways passing through railway tracks. This structure runs under the English Channel and unites Great Britain with part of continental Europe. With its help, anyone can travel from Paris to London in just a couple of hours. The train remains inside the underground pipe for an average of 20-35 minutes.

The grand opening of the Eurotunnel took place in May 1994. Despite the fact that a lot of money was spent on the construction of this underground corridor, the world community recognized it as a miraculous masterpiece. Therefore, the structure was classified as one of the modern wonders of the world. According to preliminary estimates, this longest tunnel in the world will become self-sustaining only after 1000 years.

Longest tunnel in the Alps

Another incredible underground corridor that has not lost its position for over half a century is the Simplon Tunnel. It is he who is considered the most successful link between the city of Domodossola (Italy) and Brig (Switzerland). In addition, the building itself has a convenient geographical location, as it crosses the famous Orient Express route and touches one of the lines in the Paris-Istanbul direction.

Incredibly, the Simplon Tunnel has its own history. These walls remember a lot, for example, the fact that during the Second World War the entrance and exit from it were mined. However, an unauthorized explosion was avoided thanks to the help of local partisans. Currently, the subway consists of two portals 19803 and 19823 m long. Now you know where the longest tunnel in the world is.

Unfinished “monster” in the Alps

There is also an unfinished one in the Alps, which is called a real monster of modern architectural buildings. This titanium, whose length is about 57 km, is comfortably located in friendly Switzerland. According to the project developers themselves, the main goal of the tunnel is the safe passage of goods and passengers through the Alps. In addition, it can be used to reduce the three-hour journey from Zurich to Milan to two hours and fifty minutes.

And although the Gotthard Tunnel is not yet finished, it is already breaking records for the amount of money spent. As reported in one foreign publication, to date the construction of the underground corridor has cost its owners $10.3 billion. The opening of one of the longest railway tunnels is planned for 2017.

The longest tunnels in the world: undersea connection between Japan and South Korea

The South Korean government, together with the Japanese, has developed a plan to build a tunnel 182 km long. This decision was made in order to increase trade turnover and speed up transport connections between the two countries. This project, according to experts, will be grandiose. And although its construction is just beginning, developers, engineers and architects have already had to face a lot of problems. In particular, it is not yet clear how the rescue system will work if a random accident suddenly occurs.

The longest and most expensive tunnel in the world

The longest road tunnel, where you can see eight lanes of the highway at once, is considered the Great Boston Tunnel. However, its amazing structure and design undoubtedly pale in comparison to the amount that the customers of this building had to pay.

According to preliminary data, the total budget spent on the construction of the tunnel exceeded $14.6 billion. But the contractors were unable to meet this amount, so additional daily costs amounted to about $3 million. More than 150 modern cranes worked during the construction of the Great Boston Tunnel. Moreover, more than 5,000 employees participated in the process itself.

The longest tunnel in all of Spain

Spain also boasts Guadarama, a long land tunnel that connects Valladolid with Madrid. Its length is only 28.37 km. The opening of this building took place in 2007. Later they started talking about Guadarama as the largest architectural work in Spain.

Large underground tunnel in Japan

Japan is famous for its underground and above-ground buildings, including the large Hakkoda railway tunnel. Its total length is about 26.5 km. Many years have passed since the opening of this building until now. But it continues to be one of the most unique spacious passages, along which two trains can pass at once.

Modern tunnels help overcome various natural obstacles, reduce travel time and allow you to significantly save on gasoline. Many of them are impressive not only with their technical equipment and security systems, but also with their size. The longest road tunnel in Moscow is Lefortovo. Its length is 3.24 km. The tunnel runs under the park of the same name and the Yauza River. In Russia, the Gimrinsky tunnel in Dagestan is considered the largest. An underground highway 4.3 km long connects mountain villages with the center of the republic and saves 20 minutes.

And yet, Russian tunnels are still far from achieving world records. There are many much longer structures on the planet, which also have their own zest. For example, in Norway underground lighting imitates sunset and sunrise, and in China it imitates clouds and sun rays. In the Laerdal tunnel there are “rest caves” for drivers, and in the St. Gotthard tunnel there are “waiting rooms” for heavy vehicles. Today, leading engineers are building entire networks of underground highways: “spiral”, combined, with roundabouts, intersections, transport interchanges in the rock, caves and panoramic views of the cliffs. Autonews talks about eight record-breaking longest road tunnels in the world.

Italy, Mont Blanc tunnel - 11.61 km

Photo: Harald Wenzel-Orf/Globallookpress

The Mont Blanc Tunnel runs under Mont Blanc, the highest mountain in the Alps. It connects the ski resort of Chamonix in France with the Italian city of Courmayeur, so there are customs posts at both entries. Before the fire in the spring of 1999, thousands of cars managed to pass through the underground highway. The cause of the incident was a fire in the engine of a truck that was transporting flour and margarine. It took about €400 million and three years to restore the Mont Blanc Tunnel. During this time, it was equipped with 120 video surveillance cameras, many thermal sensors, emergency exits and a first aid station. Today the speed limit here is from 50 to 70 km/h. Violating it can result in a large fine or loss of your driver's license. About 5 thousand cars pass through the tunnel every day. The fare for passenger cars ranges from €45.6 on the French side to €46.4 on the Italian side.

France, Fréjus tunnel – 12.87 km

An alternative route for road traffic between France and Italy is the Frejus high-altitude tunnel. Its construction began in 1974, and the launch was scheduled for July 12, 1980. In the first two decades, Frejus received over 20 million cars. After the fire in the Mont Blanc tunnel, it was equipped with the latest smoke detectors, a video camera system, fire hydrants and temperature sensors. Additional modernization of the highway was carried out in 2005. For €10 million, it was equipped with 11 shelters and an automated system for detecting accidents and fires. Today, 80% of all trade between countries passes through Fréjus. Interestingly, in the middle of the tunnel is the French underground laboratory Modan. At a depth of 1.7 km, international experiments in the fields of nuclear physics, microelectronics and biology are conducted here.

Taiwan, Xueshan Tunnel - 12.91 km

The name of the Taiwanese tunnel translates as “Snow Mountain”. A $3 billion underground highway connects the island's capital Taipei and the northeastern province of Yilan. It passes through the central mountain range of Taiwan. For almost 15 years, leading engineers built the tunnel in the face of complex geological obstacles. Due to dozens of landslides, floods and collapses, work often had to be interrupted. Therefore, some experts were confident that the project would never be completed. However, in the summer of 2006 the tunnel was opened. Thanks to this, travel time between cities was reduced from two hours to 30 minutes, and many new hotels appeared in the vicinity of Xueshan. For several years in a row, the maximum speed on the highway was 70 km/h. To increase capacity during peak hours, it was increased to 90 km/h in 2012. Today there are two service radio stations operating here. They promptly inform drivers about the situation on different sections of the highway, broadcast the latest news and music.

Austria, Arlberg Tunnel – 13.97 km

The Arlberg passes through the mountain range of the same name in the Eastern Alps. Car lanes and railway tracks are laid parallel to each other and connected by special crossings. Initially, only one track worked for trains, but it was not enough. Therefore, just six months after the tunnel was launched, the second track was opened. The main difference between the tunnel is its high-quality technical equipment. There are more than 40 CCTV cameras alone, and emergency telephones are located every 200 m. In addition, Arlberg is equipped with a high-pressure fogging system and a modern thermal scanner. The latter detects trucks and buses with overheated engines before entering the tunnel. In the construction of additional evacuation routes and reconstruction of the power highway invested €136 million. Now about 8 thousand cars pass through Arlberg every day. Drivers need to pay €10 for one trip.

Switzerland, Gotthard Tunnel – 16.94 km

The tunnel under the Gotthard Pass was commissioned in 1980. If you do not exceed the speed limit of 80 km/h, you can cross it completely free of charge. It took ten years to build the 17-kilometer two-lane highway. Today, about 17 thousand vehicles are registered here per day, of which 15% are heavy trucks. Traffic strongly depends on the season: sometimes it exceeds the mark of 34 thousand cars. To ensure a safe distance between trucks, their entry is controlled by traffic lights. They handle no more than 3.5 thousand heavy vehicles per day, so there are special “waiting rooms” on both sides of the tunnel. In the coming years, the Swiss authorities plan to carry out a major overhaul of the highway. Namely, update the suspended ceiling, tunnel ventilation and drainage systems. However, it is impossible to close one of the most important transport arteries in Europe for several years. To do this, they will first build a modern “second pipe” parallel to the old tunnel.

China, Zhongnanshan Tunnel - 18.02 km

The Zhongnanshan Tunnel was built in a record five years and launched in 2007. The project cost €330 million. The two-pipe design shortens the journey from the ancient city of Xi'an to Zuoshui County from three hours to 40 minutes. It passes under the Qingling mountain range in Shaanxi province at a depth of up to 1.64 km. There are three ventilation shafts, modern security and monitoring systems. Traffic in the tunnel is organized in two lanes in each direction, and the maximum permitted speed is 80 km/h. A distinctive feature of the Chinese underground highway is its unusual design, which makes it a favorite attraction for tourists. The lighting system projects multi-colored patterns onto the walls and imitates a cloudy sky, and the roadsides are decorated with compositions of artificial trees, flowers and lawns. This not only looks impressive, but also allows drivers to maintain concentration throughout the route. In addition, this design significantly reduces eye strain.

Japan, Yamate Tunnel - 18.2 km

The deep underground Yamate Tunnel runs through the center of Tokyo and includes two lanes in each direction. It is equipped with LED lighting, infrared sensors, fire extinguishers, escalators, fogging and dust collection. Emergency telephones and cameras are located here at intervals of 100 m, emergency exits are located every 350 m, and sprinklers are located every 50 m. Construction of the tunnel lasted from 1992 to 2015. Today it is a key section of the Central Ring Route and helps relieve heavy traffic on the streets of the Japanese capital. After the opening of the tunnel, the amount of congestion in the city decreased by about 40%, but in Yamate itself, collapses sometimes occur. In January 2018, due to heavy snowfall, a 10-kilometer traffic jam formed inside: at one of the exits, cars could not go up the mountain. As a result, hundreds of cars were blocked in the tunnel for almost ten hours. Emergency ladders helped people get to the surface.

Norway, Laerdal tunnel - 24.51 km

Thousands of different tunnels have been built in Norway, including many underwater structures. In difficult mountainous terrain and harsh climates, they make it easier to travel around the country. The Lärdal tunnel is considered the longest tunnel not only in Scandinavia, but throughout the world. This is part of the road connecting Bergen with the Norwegian capital. Thousands of cars pass through it every day, and the entire journey takes about 20 minutes. An interesting feature of Laerdal is three artificial grottoes where drivers can stop and rest. In addition, the €113 million tunnel is equipped with the latest air purification system using forced ventilation and color lighting. The road itself is illuminated with white light, and the rest areas are illuminated with blue and yellow light, simulating a sunset. To attract the attention of drivers, special noise strips have been installed along the entire route. But there are no emergency exits in the tunnel. Instead, there are emergency telephones, fire extinguishers, video surveillance and mobile communications.

Tunnels are true architectural wonders that have been developed and improved since ancient times. The tunnels probably originate from caves that ancient people used as homes. If we look to the future, to a more civilized period, we can see that tunnels are used as secret passages, usually underground. They were used to hide from enemies. Nowadays, tunnels are built for completely different purposes. In this collection I will tell you about the longest tunnels in the world and their purpose

1. So, the longest tunnel in the world at the moment is in Japan. This railway tunnel is 53,850 meters long. Just imagine how many days it will take to travel on foot before you reach the other side

The Seikan Tunnel is also the longest underwater tunnel in the world. After World War II, Japan felt the need to connect the islands of Hokkaido and Honshu, so that the country would be geographically unified. From its planning in 1946 until its official opening on March 13, 1988, it took more than 40 years to complete. Construction cost a lot of money: ?538.4 billion, equivalent to $3.6 billion

Today, unfortunately, Seikan is not used as often as it once was because air travel is both faster and cheaper. However, this building was one of the main reasons why Japan is strong and united to this day. It is worth mentioning that this tunnel will remain the longest until 2016, when the Gotthard Base Tunnel in Switzerland is built

2. The Channel Tunnel, or the longest international tunnel in the world, connects the United Kingdom and France with a 50,500 meter passage. The tunnel connects the cities of Folkestone in the UK and Calais in France. The tunnel also boasts the world's largest car-carrying train, the Eurotunnel Shuttle.

Construction of the Channel Tunnel was frozen for almost two hundred years from 1802, due to constant hesitation on the part of the British and political instability. Ultimately, construction began in 1988 and ended quite quickly in 1994. The Channel Tunnel was also one of the candidates for inclusion in the list of the Seven New Wonders of the World. Undoubtedly, this great structure played a key role in the unification of Britain with the mainland, although from a material point of view it still remains unprofitable

3. Compared to other tunnels Lötschberg tunnel(Lötschberg) is still very young, it was completed in 2006, and officially opened in June 2007. The Lötschberg Tunnel is the longest tunnel in the world on land, measuring 34,700 meters in length. The tunnel runs between the Swiss cantons of Bern and Valais and is used by freight and passenger trains. Thanks to the latest technologies, the tunnel was built very quickly, in less than two years. Every week, more than 20,000 Swiss people use it as the shortest route to Welsh thermal spas. Thanks to L?tschberg, traffic in the region has been significantly reduced, as previously trucks had to bypass Switzerland to get from Bern to Valais. Interestingly, the heat from underground water from the tunnel heats the Tropenhaus Frutigen greenhouse, where tropical fruits are grown

4. in Norway - the longest road tunnel in the world, its length is as much as 24,000 meters, located in the county of Sogn og Fjordane. Until 1999, Switzerland's Gotthard Road Tunnel was the longest road tunnel until Laerdal was built in 2000

The Lardal tunnel was designed according to modern standards. Unlike most tunnels, Laerdal is divided into four parts, each with special lighting. The lighting effect mimics natural light at dawn and dusk. Another positive thing is that you don’t have to pay any money for travel.

Driving through tunnels is always perceived in a special way, very exciting - you see how the headlights catch images and road signs, how the air rustles during a fast drive and perceive the light at the end of the tunnel with special joy. We told you about the four longest tunnels in the world, we wish you to drive through each of them and get an unforgettable experience