Swiss Gotthard base tunnel nears breakthrough

15 October 2010: Federal Councillor Moriz Leuenberger hugs former Federal Councillor Adolf Ogi after a giant drilling machine completed the breakthrough Photograph: FABRICE COFFRINI/AFP/Getty Images

15 October 2010: A miner waves a Swiss national flag as he and colleagues celebrate after drill machine 'Sissi' breaks through the rock at the final section Photograph: Christian Hartmann/Reuters

15 October 2010: Workers react as they watch the closing stages of the creation of the world's longest tunnel on a big screen Photograph: Sebastian Derungs/AFP/Getty Images

15 October 2010: A miner stands in front of the drill machine Photograph: Christian Hartmann/Reuters

15 October 2010: A giant drilling machine completes the world's longest tunnel beneath the Swiss Alps Photograph: Fabrice Coffrini/AFP/Getty Images

15 October 2010: A giant drilling machine punches through a wall of rock to complete the world's longest tunnel Photograph: Fabrice Coffrini/AFP/Getty Images

14 October 2010: A worker fills up a refrigerator with bottles of wine at the Gotthard base tunnel in Faido, Switzerland Photograph: Martin Ruetschi/EPA

14 October 2010: Workers decorate the walls under the tunnel drilling machine with the national flags of the miners at the Gotthard base tunnel in Faido, Switzerland Photograph: Martin Ruetschi/EPA

5 October 2010: A worker and a visitor stand in Erstfeld-Amsteg section of the tunnel Photograph: Arnd Wiegmann/Reuters

5 October 2010: The north portal of the tunnel in the Swiss village of Erstfeld Photograph: Arnd Wiegmann/Reuters

5 October 2010: Visitors walk through the Gotthard base tunnel at the Erstfeld-Amsteg section Photograph: Arnd Wiegmann/Reuters

5 October, 2010: A worker in the Erstfeld-Amsteg section Photograph: Arnd Wiegmann/Reuters

5 October 2010: A shrine of St Barbara in the Erstfeld-Amsteg section Photograph: Arnd Wiegmann/Reuters

27 August 2010: Workers place reinforcing bars at a fork in the tunnel near Faido in the canton of Ticino, Switzerland Photograph: Martin Ruetschi/AP

27 August 2010: Ventilation pipes on the construction site in the Faido section of the tunnel Photograph: Martin Ruetschi/AP

27 August 2010: A worker rests at the track change between the two tunnels in the Faido section Photograph: Martin Ruetschi/AP

6 May 2009: A Chinese journalist takes a picture inside the tunnel's Sedrun section Photograph: Sebastien Bozon/AFP/Getty Images

6 May 2009: Construction work takes place in the Sedrun section Photograph: Sebastien Bozon/AFP/Getty Images

6 May 2009: The Sedrun entrance to the tunnel Photograph: Sebastien Bozon/AFP/Getty Images