By Rose Bell
The opening process of the new Albula railway tunnel (5860 m), was done by the Rhaetian Railway (RhB) at the Preda portal at 1,800 meters above sea level on Saturday 8th June 2024.
The time duration of building the new tunnel, parallel to the existing one opened in 1903 to which it is linked by 12 bypasses, was 10 years. While the commencing date of work was 2014, it was supposed to be completed in 2020, but the excavation had to overcome several critical issues including water infiltration, the presence of friable rock and the Covid pandemic.
The responsibility of providing the costs, that initially estimated at EUR262 million (CHF250 million) and then became EUR427 million (CHF407 million), was 85% up to the federal government and 15% up to the canton of Graubünden.
Currently the aim is converting old tunnel into the emergency tunnel and the work is due to be completed by 2026.
Additionally, the first trains crossed the Albula massif at 120 km/h in the new railway tunnel linking Preda and Spìnas, on Wednesday, 12 June 2024, whereas in future, 15,000 trains per year are due to pass through the tunnel.
