Simplon Tunnel
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The Simplon Tunnel is a railroad tunnel that connects Brig with Domodossola, though its relatively straight trajectory does not run under Simplon Pass itself. It actually consists of two single-track tunnels built nearly 20 years apart. For more than half a century it was considered to be the longest tunnel in the world (see World's longest tunnels). Simplon tunnel was finally completed in 1906. The Italian king Victor Emmanuel III of Italy and the president of the Swiss National Council Ludwig Forrer opened the tunnel at the Swiss town of Brig on May 10.The builders of the tunnel were Hermann Häustler and Hugo von Kager and the tunnel was 19,7 km long.The second tube of the tunnel was opened in 1922 and it was 19,824 m long.
The tunnel was subject to major structural renovation works from 1985 - 2003 following the goal to increase its structure gauge by lowering the trackbed to accommodate rolling highway trains transporting heavy goods vehicles (HGV).
