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It's one of the most iconic sites in Switzerland. 它是瑞士最具标志性的景点之一。 The Gotthard massif in the northwestern Alps is one of the continent's most formidable natural barriers, barring the way between northern and southern Europe. 阿尔卑斯山西北部的圣哥达山体横断欧洲南北，是欧洲大陆最强大的天然屏障之一。 For centuries, this was a key trade route for goods travelling from Germany to Italy, and an important military stronghold. 数个世纪以来，这是德国通向意大利的一条重要的商贸之路，同时也是一座重要的军事据点。 Kilian T Elsasser, Transport Historian, said that “In 1500, there was an idea that because all the rivers source near this region, they thought that it must be the highest mountain of the Alps. Difference between Jungfrau or Matterhorn Gotthard is this that the Jungfrau and Matterhorn they do have image. And you said Matterhorn, just see it there in your head. And you said Gotthard there are 20 images. And somebody said once that Gotthard has no image but a lot of stories. 历史学家基利安·爱尔沙色介绍说：在16世纪，人们认为，因为所有的河流都源于这个地区，那么这肯定是阿尔卑斯山最高的地区。少女峰或马特洪峰与圣哥达的区别在于，少女峰和马特洪峰的形象家喻户晓——如果人们提到“马特洪峰”，那么您的脑海里就会浮现出它的画面；但当人们提到“圣哥达”时，则会出现20种不同的画面。有人说过，圣哥达没有确定的形象，只有数不清的故事。 The only way to cross the Gotthard until modern times was by negotiating a narrow pass that forded turbulent rivers and scaled sheer granite gorges. 直到近代，穿越圣哥达的唯一路径是从湍急的河流和巍峨险峻的花岗岩峡谷中开辟出来的一条狭窄小路。
This wild, mountainous Gotthard Pass captured the imagination of Europe’s artists, from William Turner, who painted the Devil’s Bridge, to Romantic poets like Goethe. 这条野性十足、蜿蜒险峻的圣哥达山路激发了众多欧洲艺术家的想象力，从著名画作《魔鬼桥》的画家威廉·特纳，到浪漫主义诗人歌德，都被其俘获。 The idea of tunnelling straight through the rock was an enormous undertaking – and an expensive one, the brainchild of Swiss industrialist Alfred Escher. 直接打通这座山体的想法来自瑞士实业家阿尔弗雷德·埃舍尔。这是一项巨大的挑战——同时造价昂贵。 Excavations began in 1871, with workers using hammers, chisels and the newly-patented dynamite. It was slow and risky progress, with the tunnel advancing by just a meter a day in the beginning. 第一座铁路隧道的挖掘始于1871年。工人们使用锤子、凿子和当时刚刚获得专利的火药进行开凿。工作进展缓慢而危险，开始时每天仅能前进一米。 But when it was finally completed, ten years later, it was the world’s longest tunnel, and one of its greatest engineering achievements. 但当它在十年后终于完工时，这成为了世界上最长的隧道，也是工程史上最伟大的杰作之一。 It was this line that was first electrified by Brown Boveri & Co., the forerunner to ABB, in the 1920s. 勃朗-包维利股份公司，也就是ABB的前身，在20世纪20年代对这条铁路线进行了电气化改建。 Now, ABB engineering has helped complete a new tunnel – and one of the most groundbreaking rail projects ever attempted. 如今，ABB工程部门正在参与一条新隧道的竣工工作，这也是有史以来最具开创性的铁路项目之一。 KilianT Elsasser said: Switzerland is a very small country. I think to built such a tunnel in a country with eight million inhabitants is very something special. We don’t have the fasted train, the longest train, the highest train, but I think our pride is to have the longest tunnel which we do have now the third time and hope for a long time again. 基利安·爱尔沙色说：瑞士是一个非常小的国家。我觉得在这样一个只有八百万居民的国家建造这样的一条隧道意义十分特别。我认为……我们也许没有最快的火车、最长的火车、最高的火车——但我们有最长的隧道。这是我们的骄傲。这已经是我们第三次建造出世界上最长的隧道，我希望我们能长时间保持这个纪录。 The newly-completed tunnel reaches through the very base of the Gotthard massif, to form the longest and the deepest rail tunnel anywhere on the globe – powered and ventilated by ABB engineering. 这条最新竣工的隧道一路过五关、斩六将，横穿圣哥达山体基线，成为了地球上最长、最深的铁路隧道，其中的电气和通风设施均由ABB工程部门设计并实现。 It’s a worthy successor to the past achievements of this imposing region – a landmark project linking Europe together from north to south. 它是这个气势恢宏的地区的一项继往开来的伟大成就……是一个连接欧洲南北的地标式项目。 And a suitably iconic milestone in the long and legendary history of Gotthard. 这同时也是圣哥达漫长而传奇历史中的一座标志性里程碑。 |
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