The transalpine tunnel in central Switzerland is closed to traffic at both ends due to an accident on Monday afternoon.
According to first reports, five people have been injured, and the tunnel was closed in both directions. Rescue and evacuation operations are ongoing. The cause of the accident was a car that veered the wrong way and collided into a motor home travelling in the right direction. Both vehicles had Dutch number plates and the collision happened a little after 13:45 on Monday.
https://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/several-injured-_gotthard-tunnel-closed-due-to-accident-/45170632
Many accidents happen in Gotthard maybe because we have not yet mastered the safety in long tunnels. To counter the dullness of driving in a long tunnel and subsequent diminishing of attention maybe? I am surethere are also problems with the ventilation in long tunnels. I think there was also a fatal accident in 2017? This Gotthard is 17 kilometers long.
News says "The cause of the accident was a car that veered the wrong way and collided into a motor home travelling in the right direction". Does it mean the same tunnel tube handles traffic in both directions? Could it be do bad?
@Peter you are confusing Gotthard Tunnel with the Gotthard Base Tunnel. There are several tunnels in the Gotthard area. Gotthard Base Tunnel is 57 kilometers long and it is a railway tunnel whereas the Gotthard Tunnel is a motor vehicle tunnel and only 17km long.
BTW I think you have a point with your opinions about the long tunnels regarding the accidents. It makes sense to make very long tunnels e.g. Gotthard Base Tunnel a `railway only` tunnel.
@Pedro Gotthard Base Tunnel consists of two parallel-running tunnels in each direction. I do not know about the Gotthard Tunnel though.
cover tunnel photo by: Matt Brown from London, England / CC BY
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What is wrong with Gotthard tunnel? Why do so often accidents happen there?
Is there a design problem? Or an operational problem?