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The Gotthard Base Tunnel Due to Open December 2016
If you are a rail enthusiast and planning a tour of Europe get ready to get excited! The Gotthard Base Tunnel is the longest train tunnel in the world, 57 kilometres deep under the Swizz Alps, and is due to start service on December 11, 2016. The "shortcut" will make travelling from north to south quicker, more comfortable and easier, taking only 17 minutes to get from Erstfeld to Bodio.
Nevertheless the existing picturesque, historic Gotthard route will remain in service, continuing to fascinate travellers.
Tornado Hits England Rail
Tornado brings steam back to main-stream the British rail system
This story was brought to our attention by Steam and Radio enthusiast Jonathan (Jonboy) Walton from Jonboy Radio.com who has been following the progress of Tornado as a part-owner in the project. You can see his history of You Tube clips on his site along with many other Steam highlights. VISIT JonboyRadio.com HERE
BBC NEWS CHANNEL: Wednesday, 23 December 2009
The latest twist in this amazing story came this week when regular rail services in Britain were delayed due to extreme weather. Electric trains came to a halt in some parts of Britain but to the rescue came some of the Steam Trains that still run on some lines in the country. Of particular help was the new built A1 Class Pacific Peppercorn Locomotive Tornado which has only recently been completed and has been given the green light to run on mainline rail.
And a good thing it has too because this week it came to the rescue of commuters on the Ashford and Dover lines from London Victoria station.
Mark Allatt of the A1 Steam Locomotive Trust said afterwards that "If any operators want to modernise their services by using steam trains, I would be happy to give them a quote". I guarantee he would have enjoyed that as would have Steam enthusiasts everywhere.
Original news item from the BBC, Wednesday, 23 December 2009 which can be seen on the link below.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/8428097.stm
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