Enjoy a 360-Degree Tour Deep Inside the World's Longest Tunnel

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After nearly 11 years of construction, the 35-mile-long Gotthard Base Tunnel beneath the Swiss Alps was finally completed last summer. Ahead of the tunnel's opening next month, a Swiss-based news program called SRF DOK was given access to the system and has produced a 4K, 360-degree video that showcases the views along the tracks, as well as numerous behind-the-scenes spaces that the public won't see as they zip through the tunnel at 155 mph.

The nearly 8-minute video (above) was spotted over at Popular Mechanics and features a Swiss narrator sharing details about the construction project and the inner-workings of the tunnel. (There are subtitle options under the gear icon, though the translations aren't exactly perfect English.) The video begins with stunning aerial footage of the Alps before transitioning into a fast-paced journey along the tunnel's tracks, and while it doesn't run the length of the 35-mile tunnel, the off-the-beaten-path ride reveals side tunnels and maintenance spaces, made all the more immersive with 360-degree capabilities.

For those who want to experience Gotthard Base Tunnel in person, you'll have to get in a very long line. According to The Local, a February contest awarded 500 lucky people the opportunity to take the first passenger ride through on June 1, and over 160,000 residents entered. Normal shuttle tickets for the tunnel went on sale back in April.

[h/t Popular Mechanics]

Images courtesy of SRF DOK on YouTube.