Blast completes huge Swiss tunnel

Swiss engineers have blasted through the last few metres of rock to complete a new Alpine rail tunnel that could change the face of European transport, April 2005. The Loetschberg tunnel is 34km (21 miles) long, and runs on a route from Germany to the north of Italy. Switzerland acts as one of Europe's major junctions for freight and the tunnel is meant to move cargo off the roads and onto rail.