Gotthard: a ‘connection between two cultures’

The Gotthard base tunnel opens for business on Sunday. Trains will run through the Gotthard mountain in just 20 minutes, but passengers will miss out on the sights along the historic route. Historian and railway expert Kilian T. Elsasser filled us in on exactly what we’ll be missing out on. swissinfo.ch: What makes this stretch of railway between Erstfeld, canton Uri, and Bodio, canton Ticino, so special? Kilian T. Elsasser: It’s simply an extraordinarily exciting journey through the untamed Alps. The route is very closely tied to the Swiss identity. It’s dripping with history, you could say. swissinfo.ch: What’s the significance of the central North-South axis no longer going over this historic route? K.T.E.: The new tunnel is a feat of engineering. As a Swiss, I’m proud. On the other hand, there’s a touch of bitterness that we now only need this route for local journeys and pleasure trips. swissinfo.ch: Let’s imagine we’re travelling from north to south. The ...