Primo giugno 1830: per attraversare il massiccio del San Gottardo si viaggia su una diligenza trainata da cavalli. Il tempo necessario per il viaggio, da Erstfeld a Biasca, è di quasi tre giorni. Trenta ore per un tragitto lungo, difficile, fisicamente sfiancante. Primo giugno 2016: un treno viaggia sullo stesso tracciato in meno di venti minuti, viaggiando a 250 km/h.
La galleria di base del San Gottardo è una sorta di "macchina del tempo", che permette di accorciare il viaggio "naturale" di trenta ore in pochi minuti, quasi un battito di ciglia. Il tempo di farsi una doccia o di schiacciare un pisolino e già si arriva in Ticino. Ma come si è evoluta questa speciale "trasferta"? Ecco l'infografica
Lo stesso lasso di tempo, su una vecchia carrozza, permette di percorrere una distanza di appena un chilometro, contro i 57 della nuova "pianura alpina" artificialmente costruita. Ma anche l'attualissima automobile non è messa meglio: quando il supertreno è a Biasca, la quattroruote è sbucata a sud, dalla galleria autostradale inaugurata ormai alla fine del ventesimo secolo. Ehi, a patto che non ci siano ingorghi, traffico, incidenti...
Il "vecchio treno", invece, sarebbe poco oltre la metà del traforo del 1882. Insomma, mai prima d'ora l'arco alpino si può attraversare in così poco tempo. Una manciata di minuti.
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