Best Tunnel

The Channel Tunnel is a 50.46-kilometre undersea railway line that crosses the English Channel, providing a direct land route between Folkestone, England, and Coquelles, France. Officially opened in 1994, the tunnel system actually consists of three interconnected bores: two rail tunnels and a centr...

The Seikan Tunnel is a 53.85-kilometre railway tunnel located in Japan, connecting the main island of Honshu with the northern island of Hokkaido. Spanning beneath the Tsugaru Strait, it was officially opened in 1988 to provide a reliable transportation link unaffected by harsh maritime weather. The...

The Gotthard Base Tunnel is a major Alpine railway infrastructure project in Switzerland, officially opened for full service in 2016. Stretching 57.09 kilometres through the Swiss Alps, it is currently recognized as the longest and deepest traffic tunnel in the world. The flat, base-level route allo...

The Lærdal Tunnel is a 24.51-kilometre road tunnel located in western Norway, connecting the municipalities of Lærdal and Aurland. Completed in 2000, it serves as a crucial segment of the European route E16, providing a permanent, weather-independent ferry-free link between Oslo and Bergen. Recogniz...

The Marmaray Tunnel is a 76-kilometer commuter rail and metro corridor in Istanbul, Turkey, of which roughly 13.4 kilometers run beneath the Bosphorus strait through a submerged tube tunnel. The underwater section connects the European and Asian sides of the city, making it the first rail link betwe...

The Simplon Tunnel is a railway tunnel that connects Switzerland and Italy through the Alps, linking the town of Brig with Domodossola. Opened in 1906, the tunnel consists of two single-track bores, the first of which was completed in 1906 and the second in 1922. At approximately 19.8 kilometers in...

Opened in 1964, this 23-mile Virginia crossing of the Chesapeake Bay combines trestle bridges and twin underwater tunnels, making it one of the longest bridge-tunnel complexes in the world.

Twin-bore tunnels running approximately 21 km beneath central London for the Elizabeth line (Crossrail), with breakthrough completed in 2017 and full through-running service opened in 2022.

Immersed tube rail and road tunnel beneath the Øresund strait, opened in 2000 as the underwater segment of the fixed link between Copenhagen and Malmö.

The Holland Tunnel, opened in 1927, was the world's first mechanically ventilated underwater vehicular tunnel, linking Jersey City, New Jersey, with Lower Manhattan.

Switzerland's Lötschberg Base Tunnel, opened in 2007, is a 34.6 km railway tunnel through the Bernese Alps built as part of the New Rail Link through the Alps.

Kuala Lumpur's dual-purpose stormwater and road tunnel, opened 2007, the world's first tunnel designed to both divert floodwater and carry motor traffic.

Great Northern Railway tunnel through Washington's Cascade Mountains, opened in 1929 at 7.79 miles (12.5 km), the longest railroad tunnel in North America upon its completion.

A Great Northern Railway tunnel through the Cascade Range in Washington state, completed in 1929; at 7.79 miles it was the longest railroad tunnel in North America at the time of opening.

Switzerland's Gotthard Road Tunnel, opened in 1980, runs 16.9 km through the Alps and was the world's longest road tunnel until 2000.

A 64 km cross-border railway tunnel under construction beneath the Alps between Innsbruck, Austria, and Fortezza, Italy, which will rank among the world's longest tunnels.

The Fréjus Rail Tunnel, opened in 1871 between France and Italy, was among the first major Alpine railway tunnels and runs approximately 13.7 km.

Historic road and pedestrian tunnel beneath the Elbe River in Hamburg, Germany, opened in 1911 and one of the earliest subaqueous traffic tunnels in Europe.

Switzerland's Ceneri Base Tunnel, opened in 2020, is a 15.4 km railway tunnel completing the flat-route rail corridor through Ticino on the NRLA project.

Two Canadian Pacific Railway tunnels in Yoho National Park, British Columbia, completed in 1909 to reduce the Kicking Horse Pass gradient from roughly 4.5% to 2.2%.

Subsea road tunnel in Rogaland, Norway, opened in 2019, approximately 14.4 km long and 292 m deep, currently the world's longest and deepest subsea road tunnel.

A railroad tunnel completed in 1928 beneath the Continental Divide in Colorado, built for the Denver and Salt Lake Railroad to eliminate a steep mountain crossing and still used for freight and water diversion.

Twin-bore high-speed railway tunnel through the Sierra de Guadarrama in Spain, opened in 2007 at about 28.4 km, one of the longest rail tunnels in Europe.

Road crossing of Tokyo Bay, Japan, opened in 1997, combining a 9.6 km immersed tube tunnel with a bridge section to link Kawasaki and Kisarazu across about 15 km total.

Switzerland's Lötschberg Tunnel, opened in 1913, is a 14.6 km railway tunnel through the Bernese Alps that served as the main Alpine rail crossing for nearly a century.

Deep-level bored tunnels built for the Jubilee Line Extension in London, completed in 1999 and extending the Underground from Green Park eastward to Stratford through 11 new stations.

A Massachusetts railroad tunnel completed in 1875 after more than two decades of construction; at nearly 5 miles it was the longest tunnel in North America at opening and an early use of nitroglycerin in blasting.

Railway tunnel under the Great Belt strait in Denmark, opened in 1997 and stretching about 8 km, making it the longest railway tunnel in the country.

Austria's Arlberg Railway Tunnel, opened in 1884, is a 10.6 km rail tunnel through the Arlberg massif and was one of the most significant Alpine crossings of the 19th century.