The Swiss Federal Railways (SBB) has disclosed its latest estimates for repairing the severely damaged Gotthard Base Tunnel, caused by a freight train derailment in August, this is reported by the railway transport news portal Railway Supply.

damage in the Gotthard Tunnel

Full operation might not be restored until September 2024.

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Repair costs are now projected to range between €100 million and €135 million ($107 million-$144 million).

Further investigation unveiled a cracked wheel as the root cause, and SBB emphasized that the damage is more extensive than initially thought.

A 7km section of the tunnel, where the derailment happened, necessitates the replacement of the entire railway track infrastructure, including 20,000 sleepers, the concrete track bed, and the rails.

In the meantime, new train timetables are set to commence in December, with SBB striving to enhance passenger and freight services through the unaffected eastern lane of the tunnel.

While SBB had previously acknowledged that repairs would be a time-consuming process, this extended timeline and escalating costs present a significant challenge for the rail operator.

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