Swiss Quality Since 1917
Second Gotthard Tunnel Under construction
Deep in the heart of the Gotthard massif, one of Switzerland’s most significant infrastructure projects is being built: the second Gotthard road tunnel. It will serve as a key transport link between Northern and Southern Europe. Implenia and Frutiger are working on the project under extreme conditions – relying on precision, team spirit and strong partners.
The Gotthard has always challenged the limits: between North and South, weather conditions, languages and cultures. And yet it has united people for centuries. People have always found a way through the rock together. Today, this story continues with the construction of the second Gotthard tunnel. This immense infrastructure project will secure the longterm mobility of Switzerland and Europe and shape the future of transalpine transport.
Moving Mountains: Implenia and Frutiger
The first impression upon entering the Gotthard massif is overwhelming: bare rock, the ground vibrating, the roar of heavy machinery. Then the outline of the construction site comes into view with clear procedures, well-coordinated teams and precise movements. The company responsible for the project is Implenia AG, Switzerland’s leading construction company and provider of construction services. Together with Frutiger AG, the company is implementing “Lot 241 – Main Tunnel North” as part of the “secondo tubo” (second tunnel) work group. Amongst other things, the contract includes tunnelling with a boring machine, excavation of the northern fault zone, construction of the new ventilation hub in Göschenen and several cross connections that will serve as safety and escape routes between the two tunnels.
Full-Service Tunnelling
What appears as a majestic sight deep within the mountain continues up into Göschenen as a highly complex daily reality. Tunnelling is not an isolated process carried out in the rock, but a finely coordinated system of overground and underground construction. More than 120 machines are in operation – dumper trucks, excavators, drilling equipment, blasting vehicles, conveyor systems, mixing plants – battling their way through hard rock, crumbly material, tight spaces or across long transport routes. Each of these machines must be reliable at all times.
Keeping machinery running in the mountain
At the workshop in Göschenen, Implenia Workshop Manager Markus Basler and his seven-strong team are responsible for construction site maintenance. “We repair, maintain, inspect and plan in three shifts,” he explains. “We need to identify problems before they become apparent – because deep inside the mountain, the geology leaves no room for machine failures.” The workshop is therefore not just a service point. It’s the lifeline of the entire construction process.
More than just lubricants
Markus Basler’s workshop smells of warm oil, fresh metal and hard work. Amidst workbenches, spare parts and machine components, there’s a sense that every movement is perfectly timed. Precision counts here – which calls for reliable products. Whether motor oil, transmission oil, biodegradable hydraulic oil, greases, sprays or cleaners, almost everything comes from a single source: MOTOREX. In an environment such as the Gotthard, this is crucial: “Consistency reduces the risk of errors, speeds up processes and ensures reliability,” says Markus Basler. “MOTOREX also provides us with detailed lubrication plans for each individual piece of equipment and is on hand to advise us on special technical cases.”
«We try to get by with as few products as possible. MOTOREX helps us, which makes a lot of things easier.»
Markus Basler, Workshop Manager, Implenia
Responsibility and pride
On a high-performance construction site like the Gotthard, downtime is unheard of. Every minute counts. MOTOREX knows the procedures and steps in when it matters most, delivering products personally to Göschenen within just a few hours. For the workshop manager, this reliability is much more than just a helping hand in day-to-day operations: “It ensures every metre of progress is a success – even when things get tight.” Precision, trust and day-to-day responsibility create a sense of pride that can be clearly felt. The pride of working with and against the rock, and of being part of a project that will endure long after the construction site has disappeared. The “secondo tubo” thus continues the story that the mountain has told for centuries: the story of a place that has always transcended boundaries. The story of the Gotthard legend.
Alessandra – A special name in the mountain
In keeping with tunnelling tradition, every tunnel boring machine (TBM) is given a female name. In the Gotthard, her name is Alessandra – after the daughter of Markus Keller, Site Manager at Frutiger. As it happens, Alessandra Keller is also well known at MOTOREX. The mountain bike world champion rides in the Thömus Maxon team. Alessandra and the Thömus Maxon team have been using MOTOREX BIKE LINE products since 2016.
Read more about MOTOREX CONSTRUCTION LINE
Deep in the heart of the Gotthard massif, one of Switzerland’s most significant infrastructure projects is being built: the second Gotthard road tunnel. It will serve as a key transport link between Northern and Southern Europe. Implenia and Frutiger are working on the project under extreme conditions – relying on precision, team spirit and strong partners.
The Gotthard has always challenged the limits: between North and South, weather conditions, languages and cultures. And yet it has united people for centuries. People have always found a way through the rock together. Today, this story continues with the construction of the second Gotthard tunnel. This immense infrastructure project will secure the longterm mobility of Switzerland and Europe and shape the future of transalpine transport.
Moving Mountains: Implenia and Frutiger
The first impression upon entering the Gotthard massif is overwhelming: bare rock, the ground vibrating, the roar of heavy machinery. Then the outline of the construction site comes into view with clear procedures, well-coordinated teams and precise movements. The company responsible for the project is Implenia AG, Switzerland’s leading construction company and provider of construction services. Together with Frutiger AG, the company is implementing “Lot 241 – Main Tunnel North” as part of the “secondo tubo” (second tunnel) work group. Amongst other things, the contract includes tunnelling with a boring machine, excavation of the northern fault zone, construction of the new ventilation hub in Göschenen and several cross connections that will serve as safety and escape routes between the two tunnels.
Full-Service Tunnelling
What appears as a majestic sight deep within the mountain continues up into Göschenen as a highly complex daily reality. Tunnelling is not an isolated process carried out in the rock, but a finely coordinated system of overground and underground construction. More than 120 machines are in operation – dumper trucks, excavators, drilling equipment, blasting vehicles, conveyor systems, mixing plants – battling their way through hard rock, crumbly material, tight spaces or across long transport routes. Each of these machines must be reliable at all times.
Keeping machinery running in the mountain
At the workshop in Göschenen, Implenia Workshop Manager Markus Basler and his seven-strong team are responsible for construction site maintenance. “We repair, maintain, inspect and plan in three shifts,” he explains. “We need to identify problems before they become apparent – because deep inside the mountain, the geology leaves no room for machine failures.” The workshop is therefore not just a service point. It’s the lifeline of the entire construction process.
More than just lubricants
Markus Basler’s workshop smells of warm oil, fresh metal and hard work. Amidst workbenches, spare parts and machine components, there’s a sense that every movement is perfectly timed. Precision counts here – which calls for reliable products. Whether motor oil, transmission oil, biodegradable hydraulic oil, greases, sprays or cleaners, almost everything comes from a single source: MOTOREX. In an environment such as the Gotthard, this is crucial: “Consistency reduces the risk of errors, speeds up processes and ensures reliability,” says Markus Basler. “MOTOREX also provides us with detailed lubrication plans for each individual piece of equipment and is on hand to advise us on special technical cases.”
«We try to get by with as few products as possible. MOTOREX helps us, which makes a lot of things easier.»
Markus Basler, Workshop Manager, Implenia
Responsibility and pride
On a high-performance construction site like the Gotthard, downtime is unheard of. Every minute counts. MOTOREX knows the procedures and steps in when it matters most, delivering products personally to Göschenen within just a few hours. For the workshop manager, this reliability is much more than just a helping hand in day-to-day operations: “It ensures every metre of progress is a success – even when things get tight.” Precision, trust and day-to-day responsibility create a sense of pride that can be clearly felt. The pride of working with and against the rock, and of being part of a project that will endure long after the construction site has disappeared. The “secondo tubo” thus continues the story that the mountain has told for centuries: the story of a place that has always transcended boundaries. The story of the Gotthard legend.
Alessandra – A special name in the mountain
In keeping with tunnelling tradition, every tunnel boring machine (TBM) is given a female name. In the Gotthard, her name is Alessandra – after the daughter of Markus Keller, Site Manager at Frutiger. As it happens, Alessandra Keller is also well known at MOTOREX. The mountain bike world champion rides in the Thömus Maxon team. Alessandra and the Thömus Maxon team have been using MOTOREX BIKE LINE products since 2016.
Read more about MOTOREX CONSTRUCTION LINE