The new Gotthard Tunnel, located in Switzerland, will link the northern and southern Europe on a journey through the Alps will take just twenty minutes.
At the inauguration attended Wednesday the heads of government of neighboring countries, the most directly benefited from the work.
The presence of European political leaders reflects the importance of the colossal railway infrastructure, which will reduce transit time by one of the most important transport axes of Europe, along which every year 26 million tons of goods.
Of that amount, 80% is transit cargo by Switzerland, which shows the importance for the European trade in this new railway for high-speed trains.
The Alps have been well franked through technical innovation and precision are required to go through 57.1 kilometers of rock to 2,300 meters below the Gotthard massif.
The effort and the large financial investment paid for entirely by Switzerland-about 11,000 million euros will be recognized by the presence of French President Francois Hollande; German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Prime Minister of Italy, Matteo Renzi, who will be passengers on the second train that will cross the tunnel at the start of trial operation period.
The occupants of the first train to cross the tunnel as part of the paths opening ceremonies tomorrow, will be ordinary Swiss citizens who won this right in a public company organized by the Swiss railway competition.
Participate in events 1,100 official guests and a similar number of winners, traveling on trains and hundreds of employees of the tunnel, technicians and artists.
Security will be extreme and for this the authorities have mobilized 2,000 soldiers, is planned airspace surveillance, and guests and all material porten have to go through similar to those of an airport controls.
The inauguration will consist of two simultaneous ceremonies to be held at each end of the tunnel.
The north side will take place in the town of Erstelfd (canton of Uri), where the president of Switzerland Johann Schneider-Amman, will deliver a speech.
On the other hand, in Polleguio (Ticino), the Minister of the Environment, Transport and Energy, Doris Leuthard, will do the same.
In both points will be presented then a show specially created for the occasion, after which guests can discover the tunnel, called "basic" because it is low altitude (550 meters maximum), which will prevent the rise phase for trains.
Upon completion of the crossing, the guests will taste the local culinary specialties before the formal ceremony of the tunnel by the construction company to the competent authority. An air show seal the historic day.
The organizers have been careful to incorporate the festivities to the people, without which this work would never have existed, since they were Swiss citizens who gave the green light in a referendum held in 1998.
In that referendum, 64% of Swiss voters approved the financing of works and the whole project "The new railway lines through the Alps," which consists of four tunnels large, one of which is the St. Gotthard Pass.
So popular celebrations will continue on Saturday and Sunday next in the towns of Rynächt and Erstfeld, north side of the tunnel; Pollegio and Biasca and the south.
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