The situation on the 57 kilometer long Gotthard Base Tunnel north portal at Rynächt near Erstfeld, viewed from about 400 meter above the valley floor. The Venice Simplon-Orient-Express (VSOE) pulled by two Re 4/4 II is heading towards Erstfeld and the Gotthard mountain line, crossing the double portal of the Base Tunnel shortly. The red building is the Infocenter of the Alptransit, which will close in december 2016. The long flat roofed rectangular building is the BTG Erstfeld (Bahntechnikgebäude/Building for the railway technics). Right from the cantonal road was the former double track Gotthard line, used till this spring and will be soon renaturalized. On the bright area on the right behind the portal, in the next years, a fish farming will be built, using the clear warm water (about 14 to 16 degrees celsius) coming from the Gotthard Base Tunnel.
