What you see above is a one-of-a-kind achievement, for which at least 2500 workers would be very proud of for their remaining life. 20 years later and after a loss of 8 lives, this 35.4 mile tunnel named Gotthard Base Tunnel has been finally dug. “When the $10 billion tunnel opens for rail traffic in 2017, it will replace Japan’s 33.5-mile (53.6-kilometer) Seikan Tunnel as the world’s longest — excluding aqueducts — and let passenger and cargo trains pass under the Alps at speeds of up to 155 mph (250 kph) on their way from Germany to Italy.”

Spiegel Online via Yahoo! News