10 longest rail tunnels in the world

29 NOV, 2023

Adhya Moona

Photo: AFP

Spanning 57.1 kilometers, the Gotthard Base Tunnel is the world's longest rail tunnel, connecting Erstfeld in the north to Bodio in the south.

GOTTHARD BASE TUNNEL, SWITZERLAND

Photo: WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

The Seikan Tunnel in Japan measures 53.8 kilometers and runs beneath the seabed, linking the islands of Honshu and Hokkaido.

SEIKAN TUNNEL, JAPAN

Photo: X/DOGEMAN

At 50.3 kilometers, the Yulhyeon Tunnel is a significant part of South Korea's high-speed rail network, connecting Wonju to Gangneung.

YULHYEON TUNNEL, SOUTH KOREA

Photo: WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

While primarily a rail tunnel, the Channel Tunnel also accommodates vehicle traffic. It spans 50.5 kilometers beneath the English Channel.

CHANNEL TUNNEL, UK/FRANCE

Photo: UNSPLASH/FLORIAN OLIVIO

The Songshan Lake Tunnel is part of China's high-speed rail network, stretching for 37.8 kilometers and connecting Guangzhou to Shenzhen.

songshan lake tunnel, china

Photo: WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

The Lötschberg Base Tunnel is a 34.57 kilometers railway base tunnel on the BLS AG's Lötschberg line cutting through the Bernese Alps of Switzerland.

lötschberg base tunnel, switzerland 

Photo: WIKIMEDIA COMMONS/MOROVICTOR

This Russian rail tunnel measures 15.3 kilometers and is a crucial part of the Baikal–Amur Mainline (BAM) railway.

severomuysky tunnel, russia

Photo: WIKIMEDIA COMMONS/MCCUNICANO

The Hakkōda Tunnel, at 26.5 kilometers, is a part of the Tōhoku Shinkansen, linking Morioka to Aomori.

hakkōda tunnel, japan

Photo: WIKIMEDIA COMMONS/FRZ

The Guadarrama Tunnel is a railway tunnel across the Sierra de Guadarrama, forming a key portion of the Madrid–León high-speed rail line in Spain.

guadarrama tunnel, spain

Photo: X/SUSAN KOPPEL

The Jungfrau Tunnel spans 7.4 kilometers and connects Kleine Scheidegg to Jungfraujoch, making it one of the world's highest rail tunnels, situated in the Swiss Alps.

jungfrau tunnel, switzerland