The world's longest - and most profound - rail burrow opens in Switzerland on Wednesday.
The Gotthard rail join has taken 20 years to fabricate, and cost more than $12bn (£8.2bn). It will, the Swiss say, change Europe's cargo transport.
The Alps are in some cases portrayed as Europe's characteristic exchange obstructions. From Roman times, the courses crosswise over them have been mapped, and battled about.
In the Middle Ages, donkey groups trekked meticulously up the snow capped passes, conveying everything from salt to wine, metal and cowhide merchandise. Mishaps were normal, and, in winter, the courses were shut.
In this way, when the main rail burrow through the Gotthard opened in 1882 the then president of Switzerland, Simeon Bavier, couldn't contain his rapture: "A triumph of craftsmanship and science, a landmark to work and persistence! The obstruction which partitioned countries has fallen, the [Swiss Alps] have been ruptured. Nations have drawn nearer to each other, the world business sector is open!"
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