The 13 Longest Tunnels In The World

A tunnel is an underground transportation route. Water, travelers, and rubbish are all possible. In certain cases, tunnels are cheaper than open cuttings. Tunnels avoid disrupting surface life or traffic.

They are cheaper than bridges or open cuttings for water and sewage. Because these structures rely on natural components like rock and soil, geological conditions have a role.

Let’s take a look at something more interesting. A list of the longest tunnels in the world! Stay tuned to learn more:

1. Gotthard Base Tunnel

When the Gotthard Base Tunnel opened to the public on December 11, 2016, it was the world’s longest and most expensive rail tunnel, according to the International Railway Federation.

With an elevation of 8,040 feet, the Gotthard Base Tunnel in the Swiss Alps is the world’s deepest railway tunnel (2,450 meters). 

It is mostly used for the transportation of people and freight between northern and southern European countries.

2. Delaware Aqueduct Tunnel

The Delaware Aqueduct is a water supply aqueduct for New York City. Rondout Reservoir, Cannonsville Reservoir, Pepacton Reservoir, and West Branch Reservoir are all located on the Hudson River’s west bank.

This huge aqueduct, constructed between 1939 and 1945, delivers half of New York City’s daily water supply of 1.3 billion US gallons (4,900,000 m3). The Delaware Aqueduct is 85 miles (137 kilometers) long and 4.1 meters broad.

3. Seikan Tunnel

Seikan Tunnel is one of the world’s longest and deepest underwater tunnels with a length spanning 33.4 miles, connecting the Japanese islands of Honshu and Hokkaido through the Tsugaru Strait.

It took almost half a century to build the tunnel, which was designed for mass transportation and opened to the public in March 2016.

4. Paijanne Water Tunnel

Southern Finland is home to the Päijänne Water Tunnel. It is the second-longest tunnel in the world, with a length of 120 kilometers (75 miles) and a depth of 30–100 meters (100–330 feet).

To meet the needs of the more than one million residents of the Greater Helsinki region — which includes Helsinki and its surrounding suburbs like Espoo and Vantaa as well as Hyvinkää and Järvenpää — the tunnel was built.

5. Channel Tunnel

Between northern France and the United Kingdom, the Channel Tunnel serves as both a rail link and a shuttle service.

The Channel Tunnel’s underwater part is located in the Strait of Dover underneath the English Channel and is one the world’s longest undersea stretch at 23 miles (39 km). 

The Channel Tunnel’s construction started in 1988 and was completed in 1994.

6. Dahuofang Water Tunnel

Liaoning Province, China’s Dahuofang Water Tunnel is 85.3 kilometers (53.0 miles) long, the eight-meter-diameter tunnel that carries water from the Dahuofang Reservoir to the cities of Shenyang, Fushun, Liaoyang, Anshan, Panjin, Yingkou, and Dalian. 

In 2014, it was the third-longest tunnel on the plane and remains one to date. After starting in September 2006 and finishing in April 2009, the tunnel’s construction cost a total of 5.2 billion yuan ($750 million).

7. New Guanjiao Tunnel

Guanjiao Mountain is home to the New Guanjiao Tunnel, a Qinghai-Tibet railway tunnel with two entrances and two exits.

It took seven years to build and opened in 2014 as China’s highest and longest railway, at 10,800 feet above sea level.

New Guanjiao Tunnel is one of the longest tunnels in the world with a length of 32.645 km (20.285 mi).

8. Orange-Fish Tunnel

In central South Africa, an irrigation tunnel known as the Orange–Fish Tunnel was built to transmit water from the Orange River Valley to the Fish River Valley irrigation system.

The aqueduct is the longest enclosed aqueduct in the southern hemisphere.

The Orange-Fish tunnel makes the list of the longest tunnels in the world with a length of 82.8 kilometers (51.4 miles)

9. Guadarrama Tunnel

It was developed between 2002 and 2007 to reduce travel time between Madrid and Segovia, two popular tourist attractions that are divided by the Sierra de Guadarrama range.

It took more than an hour to travel between the two cities until a tunnel was built that sliced through the mountains. It now serves high-speed trains, decreasing travel time to 30 minutes.

The Guadarrama tunnel is one of the longest in the world with a length of 28.4 km. 

10. Emisor Oriente Tunnel

The Eastern Discharge Tunnel, also known as Eastern Wastewater Tunnel, or Eastern Issuing Tunnel is a wastewater treatment plant in Mexico City.

It is the world’s seventh-longest tunnel at 62,500m (38.8 miles). Between 2008 and 2014, a tunnel boring machine was built.

The Atotonilco Wastewater Treatment Plant in Hidalgo serves a 20 million population. It can discharge 150 m3/s and operate at a depth of 200 meters.

11. Laerdal Tunnel

The Laerdal Tunnel in Norway links Laerdal with Aurland. The 24.5 km long world’s largest road tunnel was built to replace the winter ferry and mountain crossing between Oslo and Bergen.

Lights and straight sections were utilized to avoid accidents and boredom while passing through the neon-lit tunnel.

12. Bolmen Water Tunnel

The Bolmen Water Tunnel is 82 kilometers (51 miles) long. The pipeline that goes from Lake Bolmen in Kronoberg County to Skne supplies water to almost 700,000 people in Sweden.

Size: 3 meters in diameter, 9 square meters in cross-section. Despite its 6 m3/s capacity, the tunnel is only carrying roughly 2 m3/s. The tunnel was built from 1975 to 1987.

13. Eisenhower Tunnel

The Eisenhower Tunnel, 60 miles west of Denver, Colorado, reaches a maximum height of about 11,160 feet and is one of the world’s tallest automobile tunnels.

It was one of the last major pieces of the Interstate Highway system to be built, and it crosses the Continental Divide in the Rocky Mountains with two lanes of traffic on each side.