HONEYCOMBING THE ALPS.

Evening Post, Volume LXXIV, Issue 78, 28 September 1907, Page 13

HONEYCOMBING THE ALPS.

1 «*_. — NEW TUNNELS. "Ever since the inauguration of the Simplon railway, France, Switzerland, ; and Italy have heen flooded with, tunnel i literature setting forth the advantages \ of tho multitudinous schemes afloat for ! ' the construction of additional Alpine j i informations," writes Mr. H. G. Archer, 1 i in an article in the Daily J[ail which I (ifisctibss th-e fresh batch of Alpine tunnels'now under construction or ncaring completion. THE SCHEME WHICH WON. "The object of tho Loetschberg tunnel (a, scheme which triumphed over two rival piojects of an international chaTapicr) is to shorten the approaches to we Simplon horn Cent/ral Switzerland, Germany, andi north-western Europe generally. From tho international standpoint, the Loetschberg scheme means that the greater part of the traffic to .-nd from tiio Simplou, winch is composed of that originating in England and northern France, will go over the lines by Chaumorjt, BeJ/ort, Berne, and Thun," instead ot via Dijon, Pontarliea-, Vallorbe, . and Lausanne. It ■will reduce tho length of the journey between Calais and Milan fioin 725 miles to 672 i miles, and between Paris and Milan from 523 'miles to 5J.1 miles. "Tho Loetschbcrg railway i begins at Frutigen (which is reached from Berne via limn and Spiez), and climbs up the Kandsr Valley to XCandorstog. where- the north portal of the tunnel is situat?d. , 'lhe great' tunnel will penetrate the Sehafborg, the Gastem Thai, and the Loetsch Pass. It will bo 8.53 miles in length, with loom lor but one; line of way, though nbout tho middle the tube will bo enlarged to permit of trains passing one another. The southern portal of the tunnel is at Goppenstein, in tho Loetsch Valley, down which tho lino .descends into 'the llhone Valley, till it oifects a junction with the .LatisanneSimn'on railway at Earon, &4 nulea west ot Brioj. The total lon^ta of the LoetschbeTg railway will bo 25£ miles, and besides the cieat tunnel there will bo thirty-three others, forming about 22 per cent, of tho lilies of access. ' The entire contract has been let by a Parisian syndicate of capitalists for "the. sum of three and a luuf millions sterling, and the work must be completed and open to traffic by Ist September, 1911. ON THE FRENCH EASTERN LINE. "A now and better approach to Berne from the system of the tt'Tcueh Eastern Railway is projected— viz., the remodellinpf of the lino from Dcllc to Dellemoiit jalia Moutier, and the building ot a rail"way from Moutier to Granges, which would havo a long tunnel through the Juras. There would then bo ,io nocesMty'of French trams passing through. Bale."