Gotthard Base Tunnel Ahead of Schedule (PHOTOS)

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The Gotthard Base Tunnel now being drilled out beneath the Alps, the longest underground tunnel ever constructed, came one step closer to completion earlier this month when another two sections were connected.

Tunnel boring engineers broke through the last several feet of rock between Erstfeld and Amsteg near the northern end.

The breakthrough took place about six months early. The boring machine only needed 18 months to bore through about 4.5 miles.

The main tunnel will consist of two tubes. This breakthrough took place in the western tube. The eastern tube was broken through in the middle of June, which was six months early as well.

High-speed trains moving at speeds of up to 155 mph will greatly shrink travel times between Zurich, Switzerland and Milan, Italy.

Almost 91 percent of the complex tunnel system has now been bored. The main breakthrough, between Sedrun and Faido at the southern end of the tunnel network, is slated to occur at the end of 2010.

The most challenging piece of the massive tunnel is the 35.4-mile stretch that will run approximately 2,000 feet under the Gotthard massif below the existing Gotthardbahn track. Experts estimate that 459 million cubic feet of porous rock will need to be cleared during the course of the tunnel's construction. To put things in perspective, that would be enough rock to fill the Great Pyramid of Giza five times over, according to WebUrbanist.com.

The tunnel is currently scheduled to open in 2017. It will be a total of about 95 miles long when completed.

See the amazing photos below...