The Gotthard Base Tunnel which opened on June 1, 2016, is located in which country?

The Gotthard Base Tunnel is a railway base tunnel through the Alps in Switzerland. It opened on 1 June 2016, and full service began on 11 December 2016. With a route length of 57.09 km (35.5 mi), it is the world's longest and deepest traffic tunnel and the first flat, low-level route through the Alps. The new base tunnel establishes a direct route usable by high-speed rail and heavy freight trains.

The main purpose of the Gotthard Base Tunnel is to increase local transport capacity through the Alpine barrier, especially for freight, and more specifically to shift freight volumes from trucks to freight trains. This not only significantly reduces the danger of fatal road crashes involving trucks, but also reduces the environmental damage caused by the ever-increasing amount of freight hauled by heavy trucks. The tunnel provides a faster connection between northern and southern Europe.

The official start of construction began on 4 November 1999. Drilling operations in the eastern tunnel were completed on 15 October 2010 in a breakthrough ceremony broadcast live on Swiss TV.

The first journey carried hundreds of Swiss citizens who had won tickets in a draw. On the following weekend, popular festivities and special exhibitions, attended by more than 100 000 visitors, were held.