Tunneling Through the Alps!

October 13, 2019

Tunneling Through the Alps!

“For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” *

Switzerland was an amazing country to visit with its impressive Alps and varied geography. Traveling mostly by train while we were there, Al and I were also impressed by its tremendous infrastructure that made travel comparatively easy. Considering that the Alps cover about 60% of this small country’s surface area and that almost 23% is 6,500 feet or more above sea level, this was no small feat.

For centuries, trade routes have been utilized over the mountain passes. Enterprising people established toll roads in order to benefit from the travelers. One such pass, the Simplon Pass, was controlled by Kasper Jodak von Stockalper in the 1600’s. Stockalper first used mules to transport salt over the pass. He eventually controlled it, taxing travelers as they passed by his castle. This made him prosperous but unpopular with the people, who forced him into exile.

We visited the plush castle that he built for his family in the village of Brig near the Italian border and spent the night in a hotel overlooking the ancient castle. The next day, our group traveled by train through the Simplon Pass to Zermatt hoping to catch a view of the Matterhorn. The train went underneath several overhangs built to protect the tracks from snow in the winter and passed through a tunnel twelve miles long that was constructed in 1906. Although we weren’t able to see the Matterhorn due to bad weather, the trip to Zermatt and then back to Brigg helped me appreciate what people had to endure before the advent of the railroad when it took several days to cross the hazardous pass.

It’s not surprising that the longest tunnel in the world is also found in Switzerland, the Gotthard-Base Railway tunnel. It is thirty-five miles long and is constructed 1.4 miles beneath the St. Gotthard Massif. Our route skirted this tunnel because as the tour director Paula said, “Well, you came to see the scenery and you can’t see much in the dark!”

Instead, we took the Albula railway line, a UNESCO World Heritage site, to St. Moritz. Even skirting the Gotthard Base Tunnel, we were in the dark plenty of times. Road, train and other types of tunnels are necessary for travel throughout the country; and it is estimated that there are over 1,300 of them! The Albula line was breath-taking with its circular loops to gain altitude, stone bridges and stunning views of the Alps.

On the evening before the trip to St. Moritz, we watched a documentary about the building of the famous tunnel which is actually a two-bore tunnel, one for eastbound and the other for westbound travel. Construction took seventeen years and cost $12 billion dollars. It was completed not only on time but also within the budget!

Using giant bores 35 feet in diameter, it was drilled in sections starting from opposite ends of the tunnel. There was an emotional scene in the documentary when workers and personnel gathered to witness the breakthrough from one side to the other. With precise engineering, they were only off by eight millimeters, less than half an inch! Needless to say, there was great elation among all of those present.

Full service began in 2016, with up to 260 freight trains and 65 passenger trains going through daily in both directions. It is hard to comprehend such an ambitious project, especially through the Alps. How can mere human beings accomplish such things?

The company, investors and engineers started with a vision and then created a plan. Next they had to form a budget and gather the necessary resources. Then there was the team of committed people who carried out the plan…

Isn’t that the way God works in our lives as well? First with a plan that would allow us to be set free from our sins and to live in fellowship with Him forever. The cost was incomprehensible—sending His only Son to earth to live a sinless life and to die as a sacrifice for our sins. Jesus was committed to carrying out the plan. Through His death and resurrection, the way of salvation was made available for all people. Now it’s up to us join His team by trusting in Jesus Christ, doing good works in His Name and sharing this good news with others. Let’s do it!

*Ephesians 2:10 NIV