page_title: Jura–Simplon Railways
section_title: Construction of the Simplon Tunnel
hierarchical_section_title: Jura–Simplon Railways / History / Construction of the Simplon Tunnel
caption_attribution_description: English: Simplon tunnel - North portal, Brig, the construction period Čeština: Simplonský tunel - severní portál u Brigu v době výstavby
context_page_description: The Jura–Simplon Railways, was a railway company that was formed in 1890. It was nationalised in 1903 as the largest railway company in Switzerland and integrated into the Swiss Federal Railways.
context_section_description: Although the Jura-Simplon Railway was a railway company for only 13 years, it helped break the impasse over the building of the Simplon Tunnel from Brig to Iselle in Italy after decades of effort by Bern and Romandy. Studies prepared to support the construction of the tunnel had already been submitted by the SOS to the federal and cantonal authorities. In 1891, JS, as a new entrepreneurial railway company, presented the Federal Council with a definitive project for the Simplon Tunnel.
  On 25 November 1895, a treaty was signed with Italy for the construction of what would be the longest tunnel in the world. The construction costs for the single-track tunnel were estimated at CHF 58,820,000. The treaty  obliged Switzerland to provide funding of CHF 15 million and Italy to provide funding of CHF 4 million. Italy was represented by four directors on the JS board. Construction began on the 19,803-metre-long tunnel in 1898. The tunnel was the longest railway tunnel in the world until the opening of the Seikan Tunnel in 1988.
caption: North portal of the Simplon tunnel near Brig during construction
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