The Ceneri Base Tunnel (CBT) is a railway tunnel under construction in Switzerland's Canton Ticino. It will pass under Monte Ceneri between Camorino in the Magadino Flat and Vezia near Lugano. It is another part of the Swiss AlpTransit initiative NRLA.
On completion, the CBT will be an important feeder in the south for the Gotthard Base Tunnel as the existing, proportionally steep track over Monte Ceneri isn't suitable for high speed rail or heavy freight trains. Another feeder is the Luino link along Lake Maggiore which is about to be upgraded by Italy in prospect of the opening of the Gotthard Base Tunnel. Both links meet in the Magadino Flat in the future Camorino Node (Italian: Nodo di Camorino).
The CBT and Gotthard Base Tunnels are being built under contract from the Swiss Federal Government by Alptransit Gotthard AG. Construction of the two single-track bores with a planned length of 15.4 km (9.6 mi) started in March 2006. The official start was celebrated on 2 June 2006 with the laying of a foundation stone.
An exploration tunnel near Sigirino was excavated between 1999 and 2003 to gain geological data on the rock formations at the CBT's level. From the data gathered, it was decided that only a small part can be drilled using a tunnel boring machine; the rest will be excavated with traditional blasting methods.
The CBT will ease local train traffic, mainly between the two major cities Locarno and Lugano but also between Bellinzona and Lugano. Travel time on the S-Bahn from Locarno to Lugano should drop from 50 to 22 minutes.
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In June 2009, the Board of Directors of AlpTransit Gotthard Ltd announced the construction contract for the tunnel had been awarded to the Consorzio Condotte Cossi consortium, at a value of 987 million Swiss francs. Boring work on the tunnels started in spring 2010. Excavation should be complete by 2015. Once excavation is complete, railway infrastructure will start to be installed. Commercial usage of the Ceneri Base Tunnel through revenue train services is expected to start in late 2019.[1]
In March 2010, it was announced that blasting had begun on the main drives of the CBT. Tunneling reached full-speed by the end of 2010.
| Year | Month | Total excavated | % of 39.78 km |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 1 January | 7.600 km/4.72 mi | 18.9% |
| 1 February | 7.637 km/4.75 mi | 19.0% | |
| 1 March | 7.673 km/4.77 mi | 19.1% | |
| 1 April | 7.731 km/4.80 mi | 19.4% | |
| 1 May | 7.880 km/4.90 mi | 19.8% | |
| 1 June | 8.101 km/5.03 mi | 20.4% | |
| 1 July | 8.344 km/5.18 mi | 21.0% | |
| 1 August | 8.816 km/5.48 mi | 22.2% | |
| 1 September | 9.102 km/5.66 mi | 22.9% | |
| 1 October | 9.466 km/5.88 mi | 23.8% | |
| 1 November | 9.962 km/6.19 mi | 25.0% | |
| 1 December | 10.460 km/6.50 mi | 26.3% | |
| 2011 | 1 January | 10.820 km/6.72 mi | 27.2% |
| 1 February | 11.360 km/7.06 mi | 28.6% | |
| 1 March | 11.890 km/7.39 mi | 29.9% | |
| 1 April | 12.345 km/7.67 mi | 31.0% | |
| 1 May | 12.660 km/7.87 mi | 31.8% | |
| 1 June | 13.140 km/8.16 mi | 33.0% | |
| 1 July | 13.580 km/8.44 mi | 34.2% | |
| 1 August | 13.960 km/8.67 mi | 35.1% | |
| 1 September | 14.240 km/8.85 mi | 35.8% | |
| 1 October | 14.780 km/9.18 mi | 37.2% | |
| 1 November | 15.550 km/9.66 mi | 39.1% | |
| 1 December | 16.270 km/10.11 mi | 40.9% |