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SEDRUN, Switzerland – Swiss engineers smashed through the last stretch of rock Friday to create the world's longest tunnel, sparking anational groundswell of elation over a costly, technically difficultproject that has been 60 years in the making..

Trumpets sounded, cheers reverberated and even burly workers wiped away tears asforeman Eduard Baer lifted a statue of Saint Barbara — the patron saintof miners — through a small hole in the enormous drilling machinethousands of feet (meters) underground in central Switzerland.

At that moment, a 35.4-mile (57-kilometer) tunnel was born, and the Alpine nation reclaimed the record from Japan's Seikan Tunnel. Television stations across Europe showed the event live.

"This is the most wonderful moment in my 36 years of tunnel building," Baersaid as he paused for breath, surrounded by joyous colleagues inhardhats and bright orange work gear, VIPs and news cameras.

The new Gotthard Base Tunnel is seen as an important milestone in thecreation of a high-speed transportation network connecting all cornersof Europe.

First conceived in 1947 by engineer Eduard Gruner, it will allow millions of tons of goods that arecurrently transported through the Alps on heavy trucks to be shiftedonto the rails, particularly on the economically important link betweenthe Dutch port of Rotterdam and Italy's Mediterranean port of Genoa.

The tunnel also aims to reduce the damage that heavy trucks are inflicting on Switzerland's pristine Alpine landscape.

Peter Fueglistaler, director of the Swiss Federal Office of Transport, called Friday "a day of joy for Switzerland."

"We are not a very emotional people but if we have the longest tunnel inthe world, this also for us is very, very emotional" he told TheAssociated Press.

Some 2,500 workers have spent nearly 20 years smashing through the rock beneath the towering Gotthardmassif, including the 8,200-foot (2,500-meter) Piz Vatgira (VatgiraPeak).

When the $10 billion tunnel opens for rail traffic in 2017, it will replace Japan's 33.5-mile(53.6-kilometer) Seikan Tunnel as the world's longest — excludingaqueducts — and let passenger and cargo trains pass under the Alps atspeeds of up to 155 mph (250 kph) on their way from Germany to Italy..

Swiss voters, who are paying over $1,300 each to fund the project, approvedits construction in a series of referendums almost 20 years ago.

European transport ministers watched the breakthrough ceremony live from ameeting in Luxembourg, conscious that Switzerland has set the bar veryhigh for future cross-Alpine rail projects. Two further tunnels — oneconnecting connect Lyon, France, to Turin in Italy, and the otherreplacing the Brenner road tunnel between Austria and Italy — are stilla long way from completion.

Swiss engineers are hoping to complete the rail tunnel even sooner than planned — possibly by the end of 2016 — but its firsthigh-speed trains could be delayed by protests in Germany and Italy,where local opposition to new tracks and budget constraints have becomean issue in recent months.

"Our neighbors in Germany and Italy will have to fulfill their promise and provide high-speed rail links," Fueglistaler said.

Asked whether he thought the large, ongoing protests in the German city ofStuttgart could derail the high-speed dream, he said: "Overall I'mconfident that these connections will be built in time."

The protesters in Stuttgart oppose plans to move the city's stationunderground, viewing the euro4.1 billion ($5.7 billion) project as awaste of money. Supporters say it will free up the city's packed centerand help shorten journeys across Europe.

Heinz Ehrbar, a bear of a man in bright orange overalls, told the AP thebreakthrough celebration was also a moment to reflect on the lives lostduring the Gotthard tunnel's construction.

"I'm really proud, but I'm thinking also of the eight people who have lost their lives," said Ehrbar, the tunnel's chiefconstruction officer. "It's very important that we remember that notall of our workers can be with us today."