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This October, tunnelling work on the St Gotthard railway tunnel, which at fifty-seven kilometres is the longest in the world, has been completed.

Work on the tunnel, situated in the Alps, began some fifteen years ago (although the idea of building it first arose in the mid-20th century), and it is expected to be opened in late 2017.

This largely straight tunnel will significantly reduce the distance between North and South Europe and, more specifically, between Zurich, Switzerland's most populated city, and Milan, the economic capital of Italy. According to AlpTransit, the Swiss company in charge of the work, the journey between the two cities will take two hours and fifty minutes, which is fifty minutes quicker than at present.

Apart from this, there is also an environmental motivation behind the plan: it is hoped that it will help to reduce goods transport by road in the Alps, Western Europe's biggest mountain range.