The Sierre Tunnel (French: Tunnel de Sierre) is a tunnel near Sierre in the Swiss canton of Valais. It is part of the A9 Autobahn and is located between Sierre and Sierre-Est-Ouest.

Sierre Tunnel
East portal (2012)
Overview
LocationSierre, Valais, Switzerland
Coordinates46°17′02″N 7°31′55″E / 46.284°N 7.532°E / 46.284; 7.532
RouteA9 Autobahn
Operation
Opened1999
Technical
Length2,460 metres (8,070 ft)
GradeGood

The tunnel was opened in 1999 and consists of two tubes of 2,460 metres (8,070 ft) in length. In a tunnel test by the European Tunnel Assessment Programme (EuroTAP) in 2005 it was rated as "good" – the second-highest grade out of five.[1]

The two tubes consist of four linked tunnels, namely,

  • Alusuisse — 1,070 metres (3,510 ft),
  • Contoured — 620 metres (2,030 ft),
  • Crête Plane — 180 metres (590 ft), and
  • Ancien Sierre Plant Composition — 580 metres (1,900 ft).

The Sierre Tunnel came to international attention in March 2012 after a coach crash inside resulted in the deaths of 28 people, including 22 children, who were returning to Belgium from a school skiing holiday.[2]

West portal (2012)

References

edit
  1. ^ "EuroTAP: 49 EUROPEAN TUNNELS TESTED" (PDF). Euro Test. Retrieved 16 March 2012.
  2. ^ "Swiss official: Bus carrying kids was not speeding". AP. 14 March 2012. Archived from the original on March 16, 2012.