On Saturday 8th June 2024 - at the Preda portal at 1,800 meters above sea level - the Rhaetian Railway (RhB) officially inaugurated the new Albula railway tunnel (5860 m).
The construction of the new tunnel, parallel to the existing one opened in 1903 to which it is connected by 12 bypasses, took 10 years. Work started in 2014 and was supposed to be completed in 2020, but the excavation had to overcome several critical issues including water infiltration, the presence of friable rock and the Covid pandemic.
The costs - initially estimated at EUR262 million (CHF250 million) - became EUR427 million (CHF407 million), 85% of which will be borne by the federal government and 15% by the canton of Graubünden.
The old tunnel will now be converted into the emergency tunnel and the work will be completed by 2026.
On Wednesday, 12 June 2024, the first trains crossed the Albula massif at 120 km/h in the new railway tunnel connecting Preda and Spìnas. In future, 15,000 trains per year will pass through the tunnel.
Click here and ch/101 for further information in the tunnelbuilder archive. Visit http://albulatunnel.rhb.ch. 25/24.
