Breakthrough imminent for world's longest tunnel stretching under Swiss Alps to Italy

The last few yards of rock will shortly be removed, opening the 35.4-mile Gotthard Base link through the Swiss Alps which will allow trains to transport goods and passengers to and from Italy - and shave an hour off journey times.

The £624m tunnel through the Gotthard massif, including the 8,200ft Piz Vatgira, is part of a larger project to remove heavy goods vehicles from roads in a bid to preserve Switzerland's pristine Alpine landscape.

Swiss voters, who are paying more than £800 each to fund the project, approved its construction in a series of referendums almost 20 years ago and will have to wait several more before it is ready for rail traffic.

Conservationists say the money was worth spending even if after 23 years of construction it will only take one hour off the length of a journey.

'The Swiss love their mountains,' said Thomas Brolli, a campaigner with the group Alpen-Initiative.