opened in 2016. At around 500 metres above sea level, it provides for the first time a flat route through the massif and the Alps from the northern plains at Erstfeld to the southern plains at Bodio. It is the longest and deepest railway tunnel in the world. This tunnel, combined with two shorter tunnels planned near Zürich and Lugano as part of the NRLA project, reduced the 3 hour 40 min rail journey from Zürich to Milan by one hour, while increasing the size and number of trains that can operate along the route because the line is nearly level, compared with the spirals of the older tunnel. Illustrations A number of international artists have been inspired by the dramatic scenery of the Gotthard Pass, the Schöllenen Gorge and the Teufelsbrücke. In popular culture Gotthard Pass is prominent in the historical manga series Wolfsmund by Mitsuhisa Kuji. See also List of highest paved roads in Europe List of mountain passes List of the highest Swiss passes Gotthard Tunnel Tremola San Gottardo Bibliography Clausewitz, Carl von (2020). Napoleon Absent, Coalition Ascendant: The 1799 Campaign in Italy and Switzerland, Volume 1. Trans and ed. Nicholas Murray and Christopher Pringle. Lawrence, Kansas: University Press of Kansas. Clausewitz, Carl von (2021). The Coalition Crumbles, Napoleon Returns: The 1799 Campaign in Italy and Switzerland, Volume 2. Trans and ed. Nicholas Murray and Christopher Pringle. Lawrence, Kansas: University Press of Kansas. Nicola Pfund, Sui passi in bicicletta - Swiss Alpine passes by bicycle, Fontana Edizioni, 2012, p. 78-87. References External links Cycling Elevation profiles for both sides on the old road Free Pictures St. Gotthard Pass The Gotthard, Switzerland Sankt Gotthard Pass (in English) Mountain passes of Ticino Mountain passes of the Alps Mountain passes of Switzerland Mountain passes of the canton of Uri Tourist attractions in Switzerland Tourist attractions in Ticino Tourist attractions in the canton of Uri Lepontine Alps