What’s the longest tunnel in the world? Here’s a ranking of the longest railway (and road) tunnels ever built on Earth!
Tunnels are one of those spectacular works of engineering. Built across mountains and even under seas to meet rail and road needs, the world’s longest tunnels boast extraordinary dimensions. The recent inauguration of the world’s longest tunnel in Switzerland in 2016 led us to compile an updated ranking of the world’s longest tunnels.
Please note that this classification applies only to railway tunnels open to traffic, and excludes aqueducts, metro tunnels and canal tunnels.
10. Iwate-Ichinohe tunnel, Japan (25.8 km)
Photo credit: JSCE Japan
The Iwate-Ichinohe Tunnel is a 25.81 km-long railway tunnel located north of the Tōhoku Shinkansen line linking Tokyo and Aomori in Japan. When it opened in 2002, it was the world’s longest overland tunnel, before being overtaken in June 2007 by the Lötschberg Base Tunnel.
9. Hakkôda Tunnel, Japan (26.45 km)
Photo credit: Wikimedia – Angaurits
Bored on February 27, 2005 and opened on December 4, 2010, Japan’s Hakkôda railway tunnel is 26.45 km long. It lies to the north of the Tōhoku Shinkansen line.
8. Taihang Tunnel, China (27.8 km)
Photo credit: Flickr – ANR2008
The Taihang Tunnel is the third longest mountain railway tunnel in China. It is a double-tube tunnel and was built to enable the Shitai Passenger Railway to cross the Taihang Mountains. The left-hand tube measures 27.84 km and the right-hand 27.85 km. The tunnel was completed on December 22, 2007.
7. Guadarrama Tunnel, Spain (28.4 km)
Photo credit: Flickr – ADIF INTERNATIONAL
The 28.4 km Guadarrama rail tunnel, built as part of the Madrid-Valladolid high-speed line, is the longest rail tunnel inSpain and the seventh longest in the world. The two-tube tunnel crosses the Sierra de Guadarrama, some 45 km north of Madrid, and opened in 2007.
6. New Guanjiao tunnel, China (32.65 km)
Photo credit: Wikimedia – Baycrest
The New Guanjiao Tunnel is a railway tunnel in China, the longest high-altitude tunnel in the world, built at an altitude of over 3,300 meters.
5. Lötschberg base tunnel, Switzerland (34.6 km)
Photo credit: Flickr – Kecko
The Lötschberg base tunnel is a railway tunnel linking Frutigen and Raron in Switzerland. The tunnel crosses the Swiss Alps some 400 meters below the existing Lötschberg tunnel. It saves up to an hour in crossing the Alps to Italy, reducing the journey time from Basel to Milan to just four hours.
4. Yulhyeon Tunnel, South Korea (50.3 km)
Photo credit: Flickr – Jean
The Yulhyeon Tunnel is the fourth longest tunnel in the world, just behind the Channel Tunnel. Inaugurated in 2015, work is currently underway to complete the final permanent installations for a planned opening of rail services in July 2017. It will be home to part of the Suseo LGV in South Korea.
3. Channel Tunnel, France / Great Britain (50.5 km)
Photo credit: Flickr – Jérôme POUILLE
The Channel Tunnel, one of the largest engineering projects ever undertaken in the world, is a rail tunnel linking Folkestone in the UK with Coquelles in northern France. The tunnel carries Eurostar TGV passenger trains and Eurotunnel’s shuttle service for road vehicles. It is currently the tunnel with the longest underwater section in the world.
2. Seikan Tunnel, Japan (53.9 km)
Photo credit: Flickr – Kzaral
The Seikan railway tunnel runs under the Tsugaru Strait in Japan, linking Aomori Prefecture on the island of Honshu with the island of Hokkaido. With its route 140 meters underwater, the Seikan Tunnel is the deepest railway tunnel in the world.
1. Gotthard Base Tunnel, Switzerland (57.1 km)
Photo credit: Flickr – sanpani
Opened on December 11, 2016, at 57.1 km the Gotthard Base Tunnel has become the longest tunnel in the world. Its main aim is to facilitate trade between northern and southern Europe, particularly for freight, and to shift freight volumes from road to rail in order to reduce fatal accidents and environmental damage caused by the growing number of heavy goods vehicles. The colossal project took 17 years to complete and cost almost 11 billion euros.
Bonus: Lærdal tunnel, Norway (24.5 km), the world’s longest road tunnel
Photo credit: Flickr – Roman Königshofer
The Lærdal Tunnel is a 24.5 km road tunnel linking Lærdal to Aurland in Norway. Since its opening in 2000, it has been the longest road tunnel in the world. The tunnel’s design takes into account the stress of the crossing for drivers. The tunnel is distinguished by three large caverns cut into the mountain, which break up the routine, providing a soothing and luminous view.