The Gotthard Base Tunnel runs underneath the Swiss Alps for 35.5 miles. A passenger riding a train through it wouldn't see daylight for 20 minutes straight. Building the tunnel was an amazing feat of engineering that cost about $12 billion US, but saved so much time and energy transporting people and goods through the Alps that it was worth it.
But with a tunnel so long and so deep, imagine if an accident were to happen in the middle of it. There can be up to 16 trains in the tunnel at a time. What about a fire? The temperature two kilometers below the surface gets up to 90 degrees Fahrenheit. You'll be glad to know that there are multiple complex safety systems at work to make sure the trains run quickly and safely, or if not, that experts can respond to any emergency. Tom Scott is impressed, and you will be, too.
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firefighting trains?
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