Railway Giants: The Legendary Gotthard Tunnel That Saved Switzerland from Economic Isolation

The Gotthard Tunnel is an iconic structure known to almost everyone. However, not many people know the name Alfred Escher, the man who saved Switzerland from isolation, founded the largest private Swiss railway company and led the project to build this unique tunnel for many years.

It is 1819, and we are in Zurich, the largest city in Switzerland. Europe is still recovering from the Napoleonic Wars. Since the Congress of Vienna, which redefined Europe's territorial boundaries after Napoleon's fall, Switzerland has once again become an independent state, with European powers guaranteeing its neutrality. Additionally, Swiss territory expanded to include the cantons of Valais, Neuchâtel, and Geneva, which were taken from France. In 1848, after a brief civil war – the last armed conflict on Swiss soil – Switzerland adopted a federal constitution. With its promised neutrality, Switzerland embarked on a path to becoming one of the world's wealthiest and most developed nations, helped by numerous skilled and intelligent individuals, one of whom was Alfred Escher.

Alfred was born in Zurich in 1819 into an influential banking and merchant family, one of the most prominent, according to houseofswitzerland.org. As was customary in a conservative family, Alfred's education began with private tutors at home. He then attended the prestigious Obergymnasium in Zurich. After successfully completing his secondary education, he studied law at the University of Zurich, spending two semesters abroad at universities in Bonn and Berlin. He excelled in his studies, culminating in a doctoral dissertation on Roman law, which earned him a PhD.

In 1844, Alfred made a successful entry into politics, surprisingly with liberal views. He was elected to the Zurich Cantonal Parliament, the Grand Council, where he represented liberal interests. He remained a member until 1882, serving multiple terms as president. Among other political roles, he served as a member of the Zurich Cantonal Government from 1848 to 1855.

At the national level, Alfred was equally successful. At just 29 years old, he was one of the first men elected to the National Council (similar to the Czech Chamber of Deputies) of the newly federalized Swiss Confederation. A year later, he was elected vice president of the council, and in 1849, he became its president. As Alfred's power grew, so did his opponents. Their main argument against him was the concentration of power, earning him the nickname "King Alfred I."

Alfred's key role was in the railway sector. In the mid-19th century, Switzerland faced the risk of being completely excluded from the European railway network. Fully aware of the catastrophic consequences, Alfred fervently pushed for the construction of railways across Switzerland. The railway question in Switzerland had long been debated, focusing on who should build and operate the railways and who should grant railway concessions.

Alfred successfully advocated for the 1852 Railway Act, which transferred railway construction and operation to private hands rather than state control. The cantons, not the federal government, would grant concessions. Alfred and his associates founded the Swiss Northeastern Railway, which eventually became the largest private railway company in Switzerland. While private sector railway construction had its advantages, it also brought disadvantages, primarily the incompatibility of many networks, which significantly reduced the strategic potential of the railways. Switzerland would eventually address this by nationalizing most railways.

In the following years, Alfred focused on building transalpine railways. In 1871, the Gotthard Railway Company was founded, with Alfred unsurprisingly becoming its chairman. In 1872, construction began on the Gotthard Railway and its key component – the Gotthard Tunnel. This enormous project demanded significant capital and posed many challenges for the engineers involved. Alfred fought hard for the completion of the tunnel, which would provide an attractive transit route between southern and central Europe, as credit-suisse.com notes.

However, the construction of the then-unbelievable 15 km long tunnel (for context, the longest tunnel in the Czech Republic, the Ejpovice Tunnel, is 4,150 meters long) proved to be Alfred's downfall. Increasing criticism of the project's planning and execution, delays, and massive budget overruns forced Alfred to resign in 1878. This painful humiliation from which he never recovered. He was not invited to the tunnel's grand opening in 1880. When the groundbreaking project was completed in 1882, Alfred's name was not mentioned by any of the speakers at the lavish ceremony in Lucerne. By then, the aging politician and longtime businessman was on his deathbed at home. Alfred never saw the completed Gotthard Railway. He died in December 1882, forgotten by the public.

Ultimately, the man who prevented Switzerland's economic isolation and guided it towards becoming one of the most advanced European countries received his due recognition. The primary reminder of his achievements is the statue in front of Zurich's train station, overlooking Bahnhofstrasse and Paradeplatz, the center of commerce and finance, and facing south towards the Gotthard Railway, which cemented his and Switzerland's place in world history.

Source: Credit Suisse Group AG; House of Switzerland