Furka Summit Tunnel in the context of "Furka Pass"

Play Trivia Questions online!

 or

Skip to study material about Furka Summit Tunnel in the context of "Furka Pass"
Ad spacer

⭐ Core Definition: Furka Summit Tunnel

The Furka Summit Tunnel (German: Furka-Scheiteltunnel) is a 1.86 kilometres (1.16 mi) long railway tunnel in southern Switzerland. It lies at an altitude of 2,160 metres (7,090 ft). The summit tunnel was completed in 1925, and first opened on 3 July 1926. It links the Furka railway station, in Uri, with the Muttbach-Belvédère halting point, in Valais.

Until 1982, when the summit tunnel was replaced by the Furka Base Tunnel, the railway line passing through the summit tunnel was part of the Furka Oberalp Bahn (FO). However, that line, which, along with the summit tunnel, was closed in 1981 and reopened in 2000, is now part of the Furka Cogwheel Steam Railway, a heritage railway operating in summer only.

↓ Menu

>>>PUT SHARE BUTTONS HERE<<<

👉 Furka Summit Tunnel in the context of Furka Pass

Furka Pass (German: Furkapass; French: Col de la Furka) is a 2,429 m (7,969 ft) high mountain pass in the southern Swiss Alps connecting Gletsch, Valais with Realp, Uri via the seasonal Furkapassroute. The Furka Oberalp Bahn bypasses the pass through the 1,390 m (4,560 ft) high Furka Base Tunnel, which opened in 1982 to replace the seasonal Furka Summit Tunnel at 2,160 metres (7,090 ft).

The Furka Pass was used as a location in the James Bond film Goldfinger, a curve of which is marked as "James Bond Strasse", complete with lookout point and small parking area. Near the western summit of the pass is the Hotel Belvédère; a short walk from it leads to the Rhône Glacier Ice Grotto. The glacier moves 30–40 metres a year, and the 100 metre long tunnel and ice chamber are open from June when the road opens.

↓ Explore More Topics
In this Dossier

Furka Summit Tunnel in the context of Furka Base Tunnel

The Furka Base Tunnel is a Swiss railway base tunnel on the Matterhorn Gotthard Bahn's Furka–Oberalp line, an east–west railway connecting the cantons of Valais and Uri. Its west portal lies east of Oberwald (VS), at 1,390 m (4,560 ft) above sea level and its east portal lies south of Realp (UR), at 1,550 m (5,090 ft).

Prior to its construction, all traffic had to use the historic high-level route via the 1.8 km (1.1 mi) long Furka Summit Tunnel, which was only available seasonally due to the threat posed by heavy snowfalls. Construction commenced during 1971, taking ten years to complete. An innovative permanent support system was used, comprising rock anchors and a shotcrete coating, which included the first use of polyurethane-based grouting within a railway tunnel. The tunnel has a relatively narrow cross section, which has been attributed with slowing the construction effort somewhat. The interconnecting Bedretto tunnel was used during the Furka Base Tunnel's construction for the removal of excavating spoil as well as to moving supplies inwards; it has since been reused for ventilation.

↑ Return to Menu
LINKED FROM (PARENTS)
← Furka Pass ← Furka Base Tunnel
LINKS TO (CHILDREN)
German language → Railway tunnel → Switzerland → Furka railway station → Canton of Uri → Muttbach-Belvédère halting point → Valais → Furka Base Tunnel → Furka Oberalp Bahn → Furka Cogwheel Steam Railway → Heritage railway →