It is the Seikan Tunnel, which is in Japan and reaches 53.8 kilometers in length. It is closely followed by the much more famous Eurotunnel, which connects France and England under the English Channel. But the classification of the largest tunnels in the world is somewhat controversial. Some lists do not include, for example, subway lines because stations would represent breaks in the continuity of tunnels. In the ranking shown on the side, however, we prefer not to exclude subways. There are also tunnels that surpass Seikan in other aspects than length. The road tunnel with the largest diameter in the world is the Yerba Buena, which is located in San Francisco, in the United States, and is 24 meters wide and 17 meters high. :=0
FUTURE CHAMPION
Swiss Alps will win the record holder in 2017
The sovereignty of the Japanese Seikan tunnel as the largest in the world already has an end date. The inauguration of the Gotthard Base Tunnel, in Switzerland, is scheduled for 2017, a rail route that will be 57 kilometers long. Construction, which crosses the Swiss Alps, began in 2003.
TOP 5 UNDERGROUND
No road tunnel is among the longest
SEIKAN
WHERE IS IT: JAPAN
TYPE OF TUNNEL: RAILWAY
EXTENSION 53.8 KM
The longest tunnel in the world connects the islands of Honshu and Hokkaido. It took 24 years to complete (from 1964 to 1988) and 34 workers died during its construction.
EUROTUNNEL
WHERE IT IS: BETWEEN FRANCE AND ENGLAND
TYPE OF TUNNEL: RAILWAY
EXTENSION 50.4 KM
Planned since the 19th century, it was only opened to the public in 1994. The train crossing – which also has wagons that carry passenger cars – lasts about 35 minutes
SERPUKHOVSKO-TIMIRYAZEVSKAYA
WHERE IT IS: MOSCOW, RUSSIA
TYPE OF TUNNEL: SUBWAY
LENGTH: 41.5 KM
This unpronounceable name line connects the north and south of the Russian capital. It opened in 1983 and has 25 metro stations.
KALUZHSKO-RIZHSKAYA
WHERE IT IS: MOSCOW, RUSSIA
TYPE OF TUNNEL: SUBWAY
LENGTH: 37.6 KM
Union of two other lines that existed separately, this is one of the busiest lines of the Moscow metro, transporting almost 2 million people a day
LÖTSCHBERG BASE
WHERE IS IT: SWITZERLAND
TYPE OF TUNNEL: RAILWAY
LENGTH: 34.5 KM
Inaugurated in 2007, this tunnel cuts through the Swiss Alps. It is part of a large train line that passes through three countries: Germany, Switzerland and Italy.