Albula Tunnel
Encyclopedia
The Albula Tunnel is the centrepiece of the Albula Railway
, which forms part of the Rhaetian Railway network, in the Canton
of Graubünden
, Switzerland
. With its maximum elevation of 1820 m (5,971.1 ft) above sea level, it is, after the Furka Tunnel
, the second highest alpine tunnel in Switzerland, and has a mountain overlay of up to 950 m (3,116.8 ft).
The northern portal of the tunnel is at Preda
, in Bergün
, and the southern portal at Spinas
, in the Bever
valley. At a total length of 5.865 km (3.6 mi), the tunnel connects the Albula Valley with the Engadin
Valley, and, in so doing, passes under the watershed
between the Rhine and the Danube
a few kilometres west of the Albula Pass
.
The tunnel serves both passenger and freight traffic. The Glacier Express
passes through it daily, as do car transporter trains operating between Thusis
and Samedan
.
). At the same time, a strong water source above the northern tunnel portal dried up. The water streaming in at 300 L per second had to be painstakingly diverted with pipelines. As a result, construction virtually came to a standstill: in the ten weeks from May 1900, only two metres of tunnel were driven. These difficulties could not be overcome by the head construction contractor Ronchi & Carlotti, which went into bankruptcy
.
From 1 April 1901, the Rhaetian Railway took the construction work into its own hands. With the use of a bonus system, it was able to regain part of the lost time. At 03:00 hours on 29 May 1902, the breakthrough of the two tunnel leads was achieved, at a point 3030.5 m (9,942.6 ft) from the north portal, and 2835 m (9,301.2 ft), from the south portal.
The tunnel cost 7,828,000 Swiss francs to build. A total of 1,316 people were employed in its construction. Overall, there were 16 fatal accidents involving tunnel workers, and at the Preda station there is a stone memorial to commemorate the victims.
In June 2009, the Rhaetian Railway announced that it was conducting investigations into either fundamental modernisation or reconstruction of the tunnel.
Albula Railway
In 1890, the Davos hotelier Willem-Jan Holsboer proposed the construction of a rail link from Chur via Davos, and through a tunnel under the Scaletta Pass, to St Moritz, and then onwards via the Maloja Pass, to Chiavenna in Italy. Holsboer later had to abandon this planned Scalettabahn, in favour...
, which forms part of the Rhaetian Railway network, in the Canton
Cantons of Switzerland
The 26 cantons of Switzerland are the member states of the federal state of Switzerland. Each canton was a fully sovereign state with its own borders, army and currency from the Treaty of Westphalia until the establishment of the Swiss federal state in 1848...
of Graubünden
Graubünden
Graubünden or Grisons is the largest and easternmost canton of Switzerland. The canton shares borders with the cantons of Ticino, Uri, Glarus and St. Gallen and international borders with Italy, Austria and Liechtenstein...
, Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
. With its maximum elevation of 1820 m (5,971.1 ft) above sea level, it is, after the Furka Tunnel
Furka Summit Tunnel
The Furka Summit Tunnel is a long railway tunnel in southern Switzerland. It lies at an altitude of . The summit tunnel was completed in 1925, and first opened on 3 July 1926...
, the second highest alpine tunnel in Switzerland, and has a mountain overlay of up to 950 m (3,116.8 ft).
The northern portal of the tunnel is at Preda
Preda (Rhaetian Railway station)
Preda is a railway station in Preda, Switzerland. It is located on the Albula Railway line from Chur to St. Moritz. Hourly services operate on this section of the line.-Rhaetian Railway services:*RE1/R11 - 1tph...
, in Bergün
Bergün
Bergün/Bravuogn , is a municipality in the district of Albula in the canton of Graubünden in Switzerland. The double name has been the official name since 1943.-Geography:...
, and the southern portal at Spinas
Spinas (Rhaetian Railway station)
Spinas is a railway station in Spinas, Switzerland. It is located on the Albula Railway line from Chur to St. Moritz. Services operate every two hours to this station.-Rhaetian Railway services:*RE1/R11 - 1tp2h...
, in the Bever
Bever, Switzerland
Bever is a municipality in the district of Maloja in the Swiss canton of Graubünden.-Geography:Bever has an area, , of . Of this area, 14.5% is used for agricultural purposes, while 14.9% is forested...
valley. At a total length of 5.865 km (3.6 mi), the tunnel connects the Albula Valley with the Engadin
Engadin
The Engadin or Engadine is a long valley in the Swiss Alps located in the canton of Graubünden in southeast Switzerland. It follows the route of the Inn River from its headwaters at Maloja Pass running northeast until the Inn flows into Austria one hundred kilometers downstream...
Valley, and, in so doing, passes under the watershed
European Watershed
The European Watershed is the line which divides the drainage basins of the major rivers of Germany: the Rhine, which originates in the Swiss Alps and empties into the North Sea via the Netherlands, and the Danube, which originates in the Black Forest and flows eastward emptying into the Black...
between the Rhine and the Danube
Danube
The Danube is a river in the Central Europe and the Europe's second longest river after the Volga. It is classified as an international waterway....
a few kilometres west of the Albula Pass
Albula Pass
Albula Pass is a Swiss mountain pass in the canton of Graubünden. It lies in the Albula Range of the Alps...
.
The tunnel serves both passenger and freight traffic. The Glacier Express
Glacier Express
The Glacier Express is an express train connecting railway stations of the two major mountain resorts of St. Moritz and Zermatt in the Swiss Alps. The train is operated jointly by the Matterhorn Gotthard Bahn and Rhaetian Railway...
passes through it daily, as do car transporter trains operating between Thusis
Thusis (Rhaetian Railway station)
Thusis is a railway station in Thusis, Switzerland. It is the terminus of the Landquart-Thusis railway line. Hourly services originating from Chur on that line also continue along the Albula Railway line to St. Moritz.-Rhaetian Railway services:...
and Samedan
Samedan (Rhaetian Railway station)
Samedan is a railway station in Samedan, Switzerland. It is an important interchange station between the Albula Railway line and the Pontresina-Scuol-Tarasp line. Hourly services operate on each line....
.
History
The construction of the tunnel caused unusual problems. The cold, 6 °C, water outflows transformed the already fractured rock into a pulpy mass, regularly clogging up the shell of the northern tunnel lead (or aditAdit
An adit is an entrance to an underground mine which is horizontal or nearly horizontal, by which the mine can be entered, drained of water, and ventilated.-Construction:...
). At the same time, a strong water source above the northern tunnel portal dried up. The water streaming in at 300 L per second had to be painstakingly diverted with pipelines. As a result, construction virtually came to a standstill: in the ten weeks from May 1900, only two metres of tunnel were driven. These difficulties could not be overcome by the head construction contractor Ronchi & Carlotti, which went into bankruptcy
Bankruptcy
Bankruptcy is a legal status of an insolvent person or an organisation, that is, one that cannot repay the debts owed to creditors. In most jurisdictions bankruptcy is imposed by a court order, often initiated by the debtor....
.
From 1 April 1901, the Rhaetian Railway took the construction work into its own hands. With the use of a bonus system, it was able to regain part of the lost time. At 03:00 hours on 29 May 1902, the breakthrough of the two tunnel leads was achieved, at a point 3030.5 m (9,942.6 ft) from the north portal, and 2835 m (9,301.2 ft), from the south portal.
The tunnel cost 7,828,000 Swiss francs to build. A total of 1,316 people were employed in its construction. Overall, there were 16 fatal accidents involving tunnel workers, and at the Preda station there is a stone memorial to commemorate the victims.
In June 2009, the Rhaetian Railway announced that it was conducting investigations into either fundamental modernisation or reconstruction of the tunnel.