Meanwhile, some of the traffic was diverted to the St Gotthard tunnel farther east.

ECONOMIST: Transalpine tunnels

The deadliest tunnel-fire incidents happened in 2001 in the 16.9 kilometer-long (10.5 miles) Gotthard tunnel when a crash involving two trucks caused a fire in the tunnel, killing 11 people.

WSJ: Police Say 28 Dead in Swiss Bus Crash

While the re-opening of the Gotthard tunnel may be viewed with equanimity now, the scene looks set for pitched battle over its future, as people prepare to vote next year.

BBC: St Gotthard tunnel fire

Meanwhile, trains, which carry about a third of all transalpine freight, have to wind their way up and down steep gradients, slowly and fairly lightly laden, to reach the existing St Gotthard railway tunnel, which was opened in 1882.

ECONOMIST: Switzerland