Top 10 Longest Tunnels in the World (Rail and Road)

This is the pride of Switzerland. After 17 years of construction, the tunnel opened in 2016. The goal was simple: move freight from road to rail and shorten the journey between Zurich and Milan. It was a historic moment for Europe, with the BBC describing the opening as a triumph of precision; the two boring machines coming from either side met in the middle with only a few millimeters of deviation.

Before the Gotthard opened, this was number one for years. The Seikan Tunnel connects the Japanese islands of Honshu and Hokkaido. What's special is that a large part of it (23 kilometers) lies under the seabed. Technically it is an undersea tunnel, but it lies much deeper than, for example, the Channel Tunnel. Because of the humidity and salt water, maintenance is a gigantic job.

Probably the best-known tunnel for us Europeans. The 'Chunnel' connects England with the European mainland. Although shorter than the Seikan, the Channel Tunnel has the longest undersea section (37.9 km). It is a complex system in which, as Eurotunnel explains, the tunnel actually consists of three tubes: two for the trains and a smaller service tunnel in the middle for emergencies and maintenance.

This tunnel is relatively new (opened in 2016) and is part of the high-speed rail line in South Korea. While the Swiss tunnels go through mountains, this one was built mainly because the area above ground (near Seoul) was simply too built-up. By going underground, trains can maintain their top speed of 300 km/h without being hindered by city traffic.

China builds tunnels at a pace the rest of the world can't keep up with. This tunnel is part of the railway between Dongguan and Huizhou. It may not be the most famous name on the list, but it shows the enormous scale of Chinese infrastructure. Passengers sit in the dark for almost forty kilometers as they zoom through the densely populated industrial area of the Pearl River Delta.

Switzerland appears twice in the top 10. The Lötschberg lies slightly west of the Gotthard and was actually the 'practice project' for the bigger job. Even so, it is still a gigantic structure. Railway company BLS uses this route to take thousands of trucks off the road every day, which greatly improves air quality in the Alpine valleys.

This tunnel lies on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, one of the most remote and rugged areas in the world. It sits at no less than 3,300 meters above sea level. Construction was a hellish job because of the thin air and extreme cold. Before this tunnel, trains had to climb over the mountains via a dangerous and time-consuming route.

Spain's longest tunnel runs straight through the Sierra de Guadarrama mountain range. Thanks to this tunnel, you can now zoom from Madrid to the north in no time on the high-speed train (AVE). It actually consists of two parallel tubes, so trains traveling in opposite directions can't hit each other in case of a derailment.

Another Chinese giant. This tunnel is crucial for the connection to western China (Chongqing to Lanzhou). Boring took more than five years because the rock in this region is very unstable. Like the Spanish tunnel above, this project consists of two separate tubes connected every few hundred meters for safety.

Finally, a tunnel you can drive through! This is officially the longest road tunnel in the world. Driving 24 kilometers through a tunnel can be boring and dangerous (due to loss of concentration). That is why psychologists helped design it. Tourist board Visit Norway promotes its unique lighting: every 6 kilometers there are large caverns lit in blue and yellow that mimic a sunrise, to keep drivers awake and alert.