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Which is the longest tunnel in the world?

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Quick Answer

The longest railway tunnel is Switzerland’s 57 km Gotthard Base Tunnel; the longest tunnel of any kind is the 137 km Delaware Aqueduct in New York.

The Full Story

The answer depends on the type of tunnel. The longest railway tunnel is the Gotthard Base Tunnel beneath the Swiss Alps, which runs about 57.1 kilometres and opened in June 2016 after 17 years of construction. In places, up to 2,300 metres of rock sits above it. The longest tunnel of any kind is the Delaware Aqueduct, a water-supply tunnel about 137 kilometres long that has carried water to New York City since the 1940s. For drivers, the record belongs to Norway’s Lærdal Tunnel, a 24.5 km road tunnel opened in 2000, which has specially lit caves to keep drivers alert.

Key Facts

1.The Delaware Aqueduct supplies around half of New York City’s drinking water.
2.Four giant boring machines were used to dig the Gotthard Base Tunnel.
3.The Channel Tunnel between England and France has the longest undersea section of any tunnel, at about 38 km.

YouTube Angle

Suggested video title for this topic:

"Under the Alps for 57 km — the world’s longest tunnels"