Editing Alps (section)

== Transportation ==
[[File:ZB Interregio mit HGe 101 bei Niederried.jpg|thumb|[[Zentralbahn]] Interregio train following the [[Lake Brienz]] shoreline, near [[Niederried bei Interlaken|Niederried]] in Switzerland]]

The region is serviced by {{cvt|4200|km}} of roads used by six million vehicles per year.<ref name = "Chatré8"/> Train travel is well established in the Alps, with, for instance {{cvt|120|km}} of track for every {{cvt|1000|km2}} in a country such as Switzerland.<ref>[http://www.swissworld.org/en/economy/transport/rail/ "Rail".] {{Webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130527113029/http://www.swissworld.org/en/economy/transport/rail/ |date=May 27, 2013 }} Swissworld.org. Retrieved August 20, 2012,</ref> Most of [[List of highest railways in Europe|Europe's highest railways]] are located there. In 2007, the new {{convert|34.57|km|mi|abbr=on|adj=mid|-long}} [[Lötschberg Base Tunnel]] was opened, which circumvents the 100 years older [[Lötschberg Tunnel]]. With the opening of the {{convert|57.1|km|mi|abbr=on|adj=mid|-long}} [[Gotthard Base Tunnel]] on June 1, 2016, it bypasses the [[Gotthard Tunnel]] built in the 19th century and realizes the first flat route through the Alps.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.alptransit-portal.ch/en/landingpage/ |title=Welcome to the AlpTransit Portal |publisher=Swiss Federal Archives SFA |location=Bern |access-date=June 3, 2016 |archive-date=August 16, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160816144532/https://www.alptransit-portal.ch/en/landingpage/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

Some high mountain villages are [[Pedestrian zone|car-free]] either because of inaccessibility or by choice. [[Wengen]], and [[Zermatt]] (in Switzerland) are accessible only by [[Aerial lift|cable car]] or [[rack railway|cog-rail train]]s. [[Avoriaz]] (in France), is car-free, with other Alpine villages considering becoming car-free zones or limiting the number of cars for reasons of sustainability of the fragile Alpine terrain.<ref>Hudson (2000), 107</ref>

The lower regions and larger towns of the Alps are well-served by motorways and main roads, but higher mountain passes and byroads, which are amongst the [[List of highest paved roads in Europe|highest in Europe]], can be treacherous even in summer due to steep slopes. Many passes are closed in winter. Several airports around the Alps (and some within), as well as long-distance rail links from all neighbouring countries, afford large numbers of travellers easy access.<ref name = "Chatré8"/>

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