Simplon Pass

Mountain pass between Brig, Switzerland, and Domodossola, Italy, over the S Bernese Alps; height, 2006 m/6581 ft; built on the orders of Napoleon, 1801–5; opening of the rail tunnel (20 km/12 mi) in 1906 has made the road route less important.

Simplon Pass (Italian: Sempione) is a mountain pass at 2,008 m (6,589 ft) in the Lepontine Alps between Switzerland and Italy.

The Simplon Tunnel is a railroad tunnel that likewise connects Brig with Domodossola, though its relatively straight trajectory does not run under the pass itself. For more than half a century it was considered to be the longest tunnel in the world (see World's longest tunnels). The tunnel was subject to major structural renovation works from 1985 - 2003 following the goal to increase its structure gauge by lowering the trackbed to accommodate rolling highway trains transporting heavy goods vehicles (HGV).

The former Simplon département (the Swiss canton Valais) was named after the pass.