With the opening of the 57 km Gotthard base tunnel in Switzerland on 1 June 2016, LafargeHolcim can add another major infrastructure projects to the tunnel construction projects it has played a role in around the world.

The new railway link through the Alps is a Swiss centennial project and one of the largest environmental protection projects in Europe. By moving some of the passenger and freight transport from road to rail, it is expected that environmental costs of CHF130 million a year will be saved, with travel time between Zurich and Milan reduced by an hour. LafargeHolcim is the partner for construction materials and logistics on both the Gotthard and the Ceneri Base tunnel projects.

Environmental concerns were a priority from the project’s conception. The excavated material was transported in an environmentally friendly manner via conveyor belts for 70 km. The total amount of excavated material weighed 28.2 million t and LafargeHolcim was able to recycle a more than one third of this amount into aggregates for use in the manufacture of concrete. The remaining material was reused for many different purposes, including the natural landscaping of the access routes leading to the tunnel.

Involved in the project right the beginning, Holcim Switzerland, began its research to find the right cement mix and application methods in 1996 with numerous cement formulae and applications being tested in a test gallery to take into account the characteristics of the rock to which it would be applied.

Logistics also had to be taken into account. The long journey to reach the tunnel meant that the ready-mix concrete needed to remain in a liquid state for twelve hours. A specially developed concrete train with amobile concrete mixing unit and a tailor-made ready-mix concrete unit within the tunnel both played a critical role in ensuring the concrete was delivered in perfect condition. The Group also invested in building the most modern cement plant in Switzerland and connecting it to the railway cargo infrastructure, as well as the operation of 400 cargo rail cars. These investments guaranteed that the Group would be able to create up to 2300 m3 of concrete every day when working around the clock, without interruption, at peak construction times.

Once the Ceneri base tunnel is complete, the Group will have supplied 2.3 million m3 of ready-mix concrete and 1 million t of cement to this unique project.


Adapted from press release by