The longest tunnel in the world

The longest tunnel in Moscow is the Lefortovo tunnel. It runs under the Yauza River in the historical Lefortovo district.

Technical specifications

The length of the Lefortovo tunnel is 3.2 km, it is the 5th longest tunnel in all of Europe. In one direction of travel, the road section is a combination of an overpass and a tunnel, in the other, at a depth of 30 meters, there is a continuous tunnel.

The tunnel is part of the third transport ring and was opened in 2003.

Tunnel of Death

Archival recording. Things got much better in 2018.

The building is equipped with all necessary systems security: video cameras, telephone and speakerphone communications, smoke and fire sensors, emergency exits, etc. However, almost from the moment of its opening, the Lefortovo Tunnel is considered the most dangerous place in the capital. 2-3 cars crash here every day.

What is happening in the Lefortovo tunnel, which Muscovites began to call the “tunnel of death”? Some believe that the lighting is to blame, which does not allow drivers to correctly assess the distance; psychologists say that when they find themselves in a confined space, drivers try to “break free” as quickly as possible and unconsciously exceed set speed, this leads to an accident, and Gormost specialists blame it all on unorganized and irresponsible motorists who grossly violate traffic rules.

However, all these explanations are not convincing. After all, there are other long tunnels in Moscow, for example, the North-Western, which runs under the favorite recreation area of ​​Muscovites, Serebryany Bor. This section of the underground road is only a few meters shorter than the Lefortovo tunnel, but the accident rate is much lower.

In addition, on the Internet you can find a huge number of videos of accidents from the Lefortovo tunnel, which show that the car suddenly begins to weave literally out of the blue, and then crashes into a nearby car or a concrete wall.

Participants in accidents also tell unusual things: someone feels “grave cold” and simply cannot drive a car, losing control of both themselves and the road. Someone is cut off by a car that mysteriously disappears, literally disappearing into thin air, immediately after the accident. A human figure suddenly appears in front of other drivers, some talk about some kind of otherworldly growing rumble that appears in the tunnel, and someone finds themselves in a strip of fog, visible only to them.

Who is the “hooligan” in the Lefortovo tunnel? Maybe former prisoners of the Lefortovo prison, built back in 1881, maybe Franz Lefort himself, a comrade-in-arms of Peter the Great, who died of a fever in 1699, or maybe cadets of the Red Barracks Corps, who fought with the Bolsheviks in 1917.

Parapsychologists say that Lefortovo is located in a geopathogenic field. They claim that plants grow poorly here, wither on the vine, animals get sick and die. However, all these facts can be explained by the poor environmental situation in the immediate vicinity of the largest transport route.

It is difficult to say what is happening in the tunnel, but as the experience of many drivers shows, if you strictly adhere to established rules, do not exceed the speed limit, do not change lanes, and even more so, do not overtake the cars ahead underground, then you can significantly reduce the risk of a “ghost attack” and calmly overcome the treacherous tunnel of Death.

The longest, deepest tunnel in the world, running under the Swiss Alps, has finally opened! To mark this occasion, in this article we will look at the longest railway tunnels in the world.

So, let's go!

10. Gumzang Tunnel, South Korea - 20.3 km

(Geumjeong Tunnel)

Gumzangl is ranked tenth on the list of the longest railway tunnels in the world. It is part of the Seoul-Busan High Speed ​​Railway. A tunnel buried in the mountains connects the Nopo area with Busanjin Station in Busan.

Also, Gumzangl is the longest railway tunnel in South Korea. It is located at a depth of more than 300 m from the ground. Its width is 14 meters, height 12. The tunnel belongs to the South Korean Railway Administration.

Construction of the tunnel, which was completed in 2009, took place on three sections. The first two sites were opened in 2008. The last section, connecting Nopo-dong and Hwameong-dong, was completed in February 2009.

9. Wushaoling Tunnel, China - 21.05 km

(Wushaoling Tunnel)

Wushaoling, a railway tunnel in Gansu province in northwestern China, was the country's longest tunnel until the end of 2007. Located on the Lanzhou-Xinjiang Railway crossing the Wushaoling Mountains. After the tunnel was put into operation, the road between Lanzhou and Urumqi was shortened by 30.4 km and became completely double-track.

The tunnel consists of two parallel threads, laid at a distance of 40 meters from each other. The portal on the Lanzhou side is located at an altitude of 2663 m, the opposite portal is at an altitude of 2447 m. During the construction of the tunnel, a new Austrian tunneling method was used; the tunnel equipment allows trains to pass at speeds of up to 160 km/h. The eastern line of the Wushaoling tunnel was put into operation in March 2006, the western line in August 2006. The total construction cost was 7.8 billion yuan.

22,221 km

(Daishimizu Tunnel)

Daismizu Tunnel, Japan. Photo: Nihongarden/Wikimedia Commons

A railway tunnel on the Jōetsu Shinkansen high-speed line on the border of Gunma and Niigata prefectures.

In 1978, construction of the Dai-Shimizu Tunnel was completed. This tunnel was dug specifically for the Joetsu Shinkansen line, which was scheduled to be completed in 1982. This tunnel was the longest tunnel in the world. During construction, a fire broke out in the tunnel, resulting in very heavy smoke - 16 workers died from poisoning carbon monoxide. The Daismizu Tunnel reduced travel time between Niigata and Tokyo to approximately one hour and forty minutes, three hours faster than the regular Joetsu Line.

In addition, during the construction of the tunnel, natural drinking water was discovered. mineral water, which is still sold in bottles to this day.

24 km

(Wienerwald Tunnel)

The 13.35 kilometer long railway tunnel near Vienna, which has been in operation since December 9, 2012, runs under the northern part of the Wienerwald between Gablitz and Mauerbach. This section of the new section, with speeds of up to 250 kilometers per hour, between Vienna and St. Pölten, is part of the Austrian Western Railway.

The Vienna-St. Pölten section, the current four-way and largest railway corridor in the Westbahn, received two new high-speed branches extending far north of the original line. The largest superstructure is a tunnel that crosses the Wienerwald mountains.

11 km from the western portal of the Wienerwald Tunnel, a double-pipe tunnel (a tunnel consisting of two connected single-track pipes) was built, and the rest is a double-track single-pipe section. Construction of the single-pipe section began in the fall of 2004 using blasting and drilling. The tunnel drilling was completed two years later, structural work was completed in February 2010, and road construction began in the summer of 2010.

The Wienerwald Tunnel is only part of the tunnel complex: its eastern (Viennese) portal ends with an underground passage into a 2.2 km long tunnel with two additional lines for the old Westbahn (which has already been in operation since December 2008) and the Lainzer Tunnel - single-pipe, double-track tunnel with a length of 11.73 km, which opened in 2012). The eastern portal of the Lainzer Tunnel branches into two portals. A total of 24 km of the Wienerwald and Lainzer Tunnel allow travelers along the Westbahn to visit Vienna's new main station. This tunnel is the longest tunnel in Austria.

6. Iwate-Ichinohe Tunnel, Japan - 25,810 km

(Iwate-Ichinohe Tunnel)

The Japanese Iwate-Ichinohe Overland Rail Tunnel is part of the Tohoku Shinkansen line connecting Tokyo with Aomori. When it opened in 2002, it was the longest land tunnel in the world, but was surpassed by the Swiss Lötschberg Tunnel in June 2007.

The tunnel is located 545 km from Tokyo Station on the Tohoku Shinkansen Line, halfway between Morioka and Hachinohe. Preliminary work on the construction of the tunnel began in 1988. Construction began in 1991. The tunnel began operating when the railway opened in 2002. Maximum depth is about 200 m.

The tunnel passes through the hilly terrain near Mount Kitakami and Mount Ou. The Mabuchi and Kitakami rivers are located near the Tokyo Tunnel Port.

The Iwate-Ichinohe is a single-tube, double-track, horseshoe-shaped structure. Cross-sectional dimensions: 9.8 m (width) x 7.7 m (height). The tunnel rises with a 0.5% gradient from Tokyo Port for approximately 22 km and then descends with a 1% gradient to Aomori Port. During its construction it was used new method Austrian tunneling (New Austrian Tunnelling method; NATM).

26.455 km

(Hakkōda Tunnel)

The railway tunnel, with a total length of 26,445 kilometers (16,432 miles), is located in northern Japan in the central Aomori Prefecture. It extends across the Hakkyoda Range and links the village of Tenmabayashi with the city of Aomori.

The Hakkoda Tunnel is part of the Tohoku Shinkansen Northern Line and is located between Shichino-Budawa and Shin Aomori stations. Preliminary work on the tunnel began in August 1998. On February 27, 2005, it surpassed the Iwate-Ichinoe Tunnel of the same Tohoku Shinkansen line to become the world's longest surface tunnel. After just two months, this title was taken away from him by the Swiss Lötschberg Tunnel, which lost this title thanks to the Gotthard Base Tunnel that opened in 2016. However, the Lötschberg Tunnel is mostly single-track, while the Gotthard Base Tunnel is double-track, which is why it remains the longest double-track single-pipe surface railway tunnel in the world.

The tunnel began operating in 2010.

4. New Guan Jiao Tunnel, China - 32.645 km

(New Guanjiao Tunnel)

This double-pipe railway tunnel is located on Line 2 of the Qinghai-Tibet Railway in GuanJiao Mountains, Qinghai Province. The total length of the tunnel is 32,645 km (20,285 mi), making it the longest railway tunnel in China.

The China Railway First Survey and Design Institute was responsible for the design of the tunnel. The new Guan Jiao Tunnel was designed for two parallel single-track tunnels with travel speeds of up to 160 kilometers per hour (99 mph). The total duration of construction was 5 years. The tunnel was built in difficult geological conditions and on high altitude, exceeding 3,300 meters (10,800 ft) above sea level. Work on its construction began in 2007 and was completed in April 2014. The tunnel was opened on December 28, 2014.

The northeastern portal of the tunnel (37.1834°N 99.1778°E) is located in Tianjun County, the southwestern portal (37.0094°N 98.8805°E) is located in Wulan County.

3. Eurotunnel / Channel Tunnel, UK-France - 50 km

(Channel Tunnel)

Connecting the UK to mainland Europe (portals to Folkestone, Kent and Pas de Calais in northern France), the tunnel has the world's longest underwater section at 37.9 kilometers (23.5 miles).

Despite the fact that this tunnel is a miracle of the modern era, the idea for its construction belongs to the French engineer Albert Mathieu, who in 1802 proposed to build a tunnel under the English Channel. His plans included creating an artificial island in the middle of the canal, where they could stop for Maintenance horse carriages.

“This is a megaproject. It fundamentally changed the geography of Europe and helped strengthen high-speed railway as a viable alternative to short-haul flights,” said Matt Sykes, tunnel expert and director of engineering company Arup.

Interesting fact: despite the fact that both the British and the French began work on creating the tunnel at the same time, the former did more work.

53,850 km

(Seikan Tunnel)

A unique feature of Japan's Seikan Tunnel is that its 23.3 kilometers (14.2 miles) section lies 140 meters (460 feet) below sea level. Until the Gotthard Base Tunnel was built, Seikan was the longest and deepest railway tunnel in the world.

It spans the Tsugaru Strait, connecting Aomori Prefecture on the island of Honshu with the island of Hokkaido. Work on the tunnel began in 1964 and was completed in 1988.

Interesting fact: In 1976, construction workers stumbled upon an area of ​​soft rock, causing water to rush into the tunnel at a rate of 80 tons per minute. The leak was neutralized only two months later.

57 km

(Gotthard Base Tunnel)

European leaders, including German Chancellor Angela Merkel and former French President Francois Hollande, attended the opening ceremony of the magnificent Gotthard Base Tunnel in June 2016, which featured colorful surreal scenes featuring costumed dancers, songs and fireworks.

Located at a depth of 2,300 meters (7,545 feet, almost 1.5 miles), the tunnel cuts travel time between Zurich, Switzerland and Milan by an hour.

The 57-kilometer tunnel runs between the towns of Erstfeld in the north and Bodio in the south. According to the Swiss Travel System, trains reaching speeds of up to 250 kilometers per hour (155 mph) complete the journey in 20 minutes.

Commercial operation of the tunnel began on December 11. On this day, the first regular passenger train left Zurich at 06:09 local time and arrived in Lugano at 08:17.

The Gotthard Base Tunnel took the title of the longest railway tunnel in the world from the 53.9-kilometer northern Japanese Seikan Tunnel and pushed the 50.5-kilometer tunnel between Great Britain and France into third place.

Interesting fact: 3,200 kilometers were used in the construction of the tunnel copper cable, the length of which would be enough from Madrid to Moscow.

I didn’t make any further ado and simply asked: It would be interesting to read about tunnels, railways and others. The longest, the most complex, etc. Norway, Switzerland, other countries... in China they seem to be building very impressive tunnels now.

First, remember, well, now let's get down to the records. And we will start with the longest tunnel.

The construction of the Gotthard railway tunnel on the border of Switzerland and Italy is being completed. It is the Gotthard Base Tunnel (GBT, Gotthard-Basistunnel) that will connect Switzerland and Italy, and will also become the longest and deepest tunnel in the world. The southern portal is located near the village of Bodio, and the northern one is near the village of Erstfed. It was created for rail transport across the Alps.

Today, the longest underground route is considered to be the Japanese Seikan Tunnel, connecting the islands of Honshu and Hokkaido. Its length excluding aqueducts is 53.6 kilometers. Its other famous brother, which ranks second, is the Eurotunnel between England and France, its length is about 51 km.

Upon completion of work on the Gotthard Tunnel, the length of this beauty will be 57 kilometers, and taking into account service and pedestrian passages - 153.4 km. And then it will become the very, very tunnel in the world.

The tunnel consists of two parallel underground highways for two-way traffic, connected by galleries every 325 m, along which trains will travel in opposite directions. Inside the tunnel there will be two emergency railway stations connected to the surface by emergency shafts.

In general, the idea of ​​​​building such a tunnel was proposed by the government back in 1947, but the first construction version was prepared only in 1962. However, the main problem was the design - which tunnel to choose, a single tunnel with two single-tracks or two separate single-tracks? However, the decision on this issue dragged on for an extremely long time and was finally made in 1998, when an additional tax on heavy transport was introduced in the country.

Clickable

But in fact, the first exploration work began much earlier, back in 1993, and the main ones only in 2001. In total, about 3,500 workers were hired, which included not only builders, but also geologists, engineers and planners. Work was carried out continuously, seven days a week and 24 hours a day. To dig a tunnel in rocks, both several tunnel boring systems and drilling and blasting operations were used. The tunnel has two common “trunks”, under which trains will travel in both directions. Along the route there are two railway stations, at which it will also be possible to change trains. By the way, the total construction costs are just over 10 billion US dollars.

Regular traffic through the tunnel will open in 2016. Experts say that the most advanced technologies are used in construction; special drilling rigs with a disk diameter of 10 meters began work on opposite sides. On October 15, 2010, under the gaze of all the world's television companies, the last 3 meters of rock collapsed - the tunnel was completely built.

And now I will tell you about the longest water tunnel. For some reason it is in first place on Wikipedia for the longest tunnels. The longest water tunnel is in England, it began to be built in the 18th century, and now its length is 154,000 meters - this is the Thirlmere aqueduct

It was built from 1890 to 1925

Thirlmere Dam Raven_Crag

IN Lately It so happens that the word “most” is increasingly used in relation to China - the most populous country, the fastest growing economy, one of the most ancient civilizations on Earth. Not surprisingly, the world's widest tunnel was also built in China. The opening of the world's widest tunnel took place on October 31, 2009.

This tunnel, running along the Yangtze River and connecting Shanghai with Chongming Dao Island, is part of a twenty-five and a half kilometer tunnel-bridge project with a budget of 12.6 billion yuan ($1.84 billion).

The internal diameter of this tunnel structure is 13.7 meters, length – 8900 meters. During the construction of the tunnel by Shanghai Tunnel Engineering Co. a drilling rig with a diameter of 15.43 meters was used, which is also an absolute world record.

The road from Shanghai to Chungming Dao Island through a tunnel through which a railway line and a six-lane highway passes takes just over twenty minutes.

Chongming Dao Island is located at the mouth of the Yangtze River and covers an area of ​​1,200 square kilometers, which is equal to 20 percent of the entire territory of the Shanghai region.

Due to poor transport links, the development of the region was hampered; its share in Shanghai's total GDP was only one and a half percent.

The Chinese authorities plan to turn Chongmingdao into an example of a modern territorial unit with developed infrastructure and meeting all environmental requirements. It is also expected that the new transport system will help attract additional investment to the region.

Here are some more unusual tunnels: The Tower Tunnel, Japan One of the most interesting buildings in Japan is the Gate Tower in Osaka, Japan. This building is the result of a rare compromise between a landowner and the Japanese government.

The expressway runs through the 6th, 7th and 8th floors of this 16-story office building - right through the building. On the first floor, the floor information says that floors 6-8 are “rented by Hanshin Expressway.” The tunnel is not connected to the building in any way. It is supported on special supports and enclosed in a special structure, which helps protect the building from noise and vibration.

Here's another interesting example:

Tunnel Log, California, USA

Tunnel Log - The Log Tunnel is a tunnel that was carved out of a giant fallen sequoia tree in National Park Sequoia, California, USA. The tree, 84 meters high and 6.4 meters in diameter, fell in 1937 due to natural causes and blocked the road. IN next year park staff cut a 2.4-meter (8-foot) high and 5.2-meter (17-foot) wide tunnel into the tree, making the road passable again.

Well, again China:

One of the most unusual roads in the world is the Guolian Tunnel, which is located high in the mountains of Henan Province, China.

This tunnel is only a few decades old, but during this time Guolian has become one of the most famous roads on the highways, all thanks to its unusual location and amazing design! The fact is that the Guolian Tunnel is built in rock and is a bizarre cave, more than a kilometer long!

Read. We've already discussed this.

Now let's look at the deepest sea tunnel in the world:

Turkey has successfully tested the recently completed railway tunnel under the Bosphorus Strait, connecting the European and Asian parts of Istanbul, Reuters reports. Its length is 13.6 km, maximum depth is 56 m. Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan launched the first test train through the tunnel in August 2013.

The completion of the tunnel has been postponed many times, and now its official launch is scheduled for October 29, the anniversary of the founding of modern Turkey. This tunnel will be the first megaproject completed in Istanbul.

The tunnel is part of the larger $5 billion Marmaray project, which includes upgrading the existing commuter rail system. According to government plans, 1.5 million people will use the 76 km lines every day.

Meanwhile, the interval of trains under the Bosphorus will be 2 minutes, and throughput the tunnel will reach 75 thousand passengers per day.

Construction of the tunnel began in 2004. a Japanese-Turkish consortium, financed by the Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC) and the European Investment Bank (EIB).

Let us note that the construction of this tunnel was initially an extremely complex project from a geological point of view, since the strait is located in a seismically active zone.

The highest car tunnel:

In Sichuan province in southwestern China, construction of a tunnel through Trola Mountain has begun. This structure is part of the Sichuan-Tibet highway complex. The tunnel will be the highest in the world, as it will be located at 4240-4380 m above sea level.

Currently full swing Construction of the 14.06 km long entrance to the tunnel is underway. This object is located in the east of Mount Trola. The length of the tunnel itself will be 7 km. The construction of this road section will be completed in four years. Investments in the project are estimated at 1.12 billion yuan ($172 million). Once the tunnel is put into operation, travel time through Mount Trola will be reduced by at least 2 hours - to just over 10 minutes.

Let us recall that the construction of a highway from Sichuan to Tibet with a length of 2415 km has become the most difficult in the world. The road crosses 12 rivers and 14 mountains at an altitude of 4000-5000 m above sea level.

From 2011 to 2015 Chinese authorities will allocate $954 billion to develop the country's transport infrastructure. Most of The allocated funds will be spent on the construction of new roads, including expressways. Thus, in the next five years, 108,000 km of expressways will be built in China. By the end of 2015, they will unite more than 90% of all cities in the country with a population of more than 200,000 people. Currently, the total length of roads in the Middle Kingdom exceeds 3.9 million km.

Oh, yes, I completely forgot, what is the longest road tunnel in the world?

Laerdal Tunnel is a road tunnel connecting the cities of Laerdal and Aurland, part of the E16 highway between Oslo and Bergen. The 24.5 kilometer tunnel is the longest road tunnel in the world.

Construction cost 120 million euros. Opened on November 27, 2000 by King Harald the Fifth of Norway.

Such natural conditions in Norway, mountainous terrain, risks of rockfalls, northern climate, and many fjords create difficulties for reliable road transport. In addition, the ferry transport common in this country cannot always provide reliable year-round communication. Therefore, in Norway, in the last 20 years, the emphasis in transport construction has been on the construction of bridges and tunnels (the world's deepest Eiksund road tunnel is also located in Norway). Construction of the tunnel took place from 1995 to 2000.

The tunnel is divided into four sections using special grottoes.

These grottoes serve as a turning point for vehicles, including road trains, and as a place to stop for rest.

Designer lighting of the grottoes, as well as the layout of the route, make the trip through the tunnel not so monotonous and “boring”; the duration of the trip through the tunnel is about 20 minutes.

In the tunnel it is used large quantities security measures. Emergency telephones are installed every 250 meters along the route, fire extinguishers are located every 125 meters, and in addition to the 3 grottoes, 15 more turning points have been made.

In the Ledardal tunnels, for the first time in the world, in addition to air ventilation, air purification facilities are used.

The tunnel has an average traffic volume of about 1,000 vehicles per day and is also free of toll. The mountains through which the tunnel passes reach a height of 1600 meters.

A trip through the tunnel, thanks to thoughtful safety measures, does not seem boring, monotonous, and does not put drivers to sleep. Half an hour passes - and the eyes appear after the rough stone plain walls the beautiful landscapes of central Norway in all their rugged beauty.

Laerdal is famous for the Salmon Center, an ancient street with houses from the 17th-18th centuries and the equally famous Borgund Stave Church (30 km away), which was built in 1180 (!!!) and has been perfectly preserved to this day.

At the local information center you can get comprehensive information about the bus schedule to the church, and offers for hotels and guest houses. It’s not very clear whether Laerdal is a city or a large village by local standards, but it’s very, very cozy there. You can get around the town by bike in literally 5 minutes, or just take a walk around the town-village.

Help: Is the Laerdal tunnel really the longest road tunnel in the world? At first I don’t want to believe this, but statistics and figures convince me:

So, the top 10 longest tunnels in the world:

1. Gotthard Base Tunnel 57.00 km

The largest tunnel under construction in the entire history of Europe, the planned length is 57 km, the structure will become the longest railway tunnel in the world. The project is scheduled to be completed in 2015

2. Seikan 53.90 km (Japan) - is today

the longest railway tunnel connecting the islands of Honshu and Hokkaido. The tunnel opened to traffic on March 13, 1988. It has the titles of the longest railway tunnel and the longest underwater tunnel.

3. Eurotunnel 49.94 km, laid under the English Channel between Folkestone (Kent, UK) and Calais (France). Although this tunnel is inferior in total length to the Seikan Tunnel, its underwater section (about 39 km) is 14.7 km longer than the underwater section of the Seikan Railway Tunnel. The Channel Tunnel officially opened in 1994.

4. Lötschberg 34.70 km - the longest land tunnel on the Bern - Milan line, located in Switzerland. Its length is 34 kilometers. It connects the area of ​​Bern and Interlaken with the area of ​​Brig and Zermatt.

5. Guadarrama Tunnel 28.37 km - a railway tunnel in Spain connecting Madrid and Valladolid by high-speed route. The tunnel opened in December 2007. Has the title of the longest tunnel in Spain.

6. Iwate-Ichinohe Tunnel 25.81 km - an underground railway tunnel in Japan connecting Tokyo and Aomori. The tunnel opened in 2002 and at its opening had the title of the longest underground railway tunnel.

7. Hakkoda 26.5 km - the longest land tunnel, Hakkoda, is located in Japan, the length of the railway section is 26.5 kilometers.

8. Laerdal tunnel 24.50 km

9. Daishimizu Tunnel 22.20 km - A railway tunnel in Japan connecting Niigata and Tokyo. During the construction of the tunnel, a fire and smoke occurred, which claimed the lives of 16 workers.

10. Wushaoling Tunnel 21.05 km

Double railway tunnel in Gansu province in northwestern China. Holds the title of longest railway tunnel in China

The longest railway tunnel in Russia is the Severo-Muysky Tunnel, its length is 15.3 km.

The longest tunnel of the future is the Japan-Korea tunnel, 187 kilometers long, which will connect Japan and South Korea; negotiations on its construction have been ongoing for a long time.

In Moscow, the leader in terms of length is the Lefortovo tunnel. It lies in the south-eastern part of Moscow and is part of the third transport ring. The longest tunnel in Moscow has a length of 3,246 kilometers, it is also one of the largest tunnels in Europe. The tunnel is located under the Yauza River and Lefortovo Park. The Lefotovo Tunnel has seven lanes for vehicles (three lanes in the north direction and four lanes in the south direction).

Each strip is three and a half meters wide. The Lefortovo tunnel is a deep tunnel (up to 30 meters), such a depth is dictated by the need to absorb noise and vibration from a large traffic flow.

On average, approximately 3,500 vehicles pass through this tunnel per hour, and it copes well with this intensity. But, during peak hours, the flow increases to seven to eight thousand, which causes frequent accidents, including fatalities. According to statistics, this tunnel is one of the most dangerous sections of roads in Moscow in terms of the number of accidents, in connection with this it received an unflattering nickname - the “tunnel of death”.

The reason for such a high danger lies in a banal violation of traffic rules related to speed limits and ignoring the solid dividing line between traffic lanes, which prevents changing lanes. The maximum permitted speed in the tunnel is 60 km per hour, but the “record” for speeding is 236 km per hour.

March 1, 1880 and the construction of the railway was completed tunnel at the pass Saint Gotthard in Switzerland - the most complex engineering structure of those times, which became a symbol of the subjugation of nature by man. And today we will talk about several the world's greatest and most significant tunnels- from the already mentioned Saint Gotthard in the Alps to the Marmaray line under the Bosphorus, which opened in October 2013, each of which marked a new milestone in the development of their country.

Gotthard tunnel. Switzerland

Seikan Tunnel. Japan

Eurotunnel. France-UK

Laerdal tunnel. Norway

Oresund Bridge. Denmark, Sweden

Severomuysky tunnel. Russia

Marmaray. Türkiye

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 building passes through mountains whose height is above 1600 m. Thanks accurate calculation 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 are separated free space underneath 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 building was classified as one of modern miracles Sveta. 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 position, as it crosses the famous Orient Express route and affects 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

In the Alps there is also the unfinished Gotthard Tunnel, which is called a real monster of modern architectural structures. 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 in this moment It's not finished yet, it's 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.