Tunnel safety

The tunnel safety concept of the Brenner base tunnel is based on a complex system with ventilation systems, protected areas and measures for both personal escape and rescue by emergency personnel.
The tunnel safety concept is based on a feedback system consisting of the following elements:

• Safety organization, which consists of the safety measures and the implementation of these measures, including surveillance and maintenance and the handling of emergencies.
• Protection objectives, which refer to the protection of people and of material assets, including usage, and to the environment and are substantiated on the basis of safety objectives. General safety objectives refer to the safety requirements prescribed by law and to technical norms. The specific safety objectives of the operator, on the other hand, stipulate a certain safety level which is considered on the basis of a risk acceptance.

An analysis of the dangers was carried out for the tunnel system, on the basis of danger scenarios. These are based on dangers caused by natural and technical environments, by railway incidents, by human error, by malicious or criminal behavior and also on the danger of accidents and jeopardy to health. The individual dangers are averted or removed to a great extent by the safety measures. Safety measures are divided into 5 groups:

• measures to avert an emergency
• measures to minimize an emergency
• measures to facilitate personal escape
• measures to facilitate rescue by emergency personnel
• measures to facilitate damage control and removal or remediation

The safety measures for each group are further divided into the following areas: Structure, Rail Equipment/Outfitting, Rolling Stock, Organization and Personnel. In railway tunnels accidents generally fall into one of three categories, namely, derailments, collisions and fires.

In long railway tunnels such as this, provisions for the event of fire are made on the basis of the most recent scientific studies.
Based on these, the tunnel lining of the Brenner Base Tunnel will be made to withstand temperatures over 1300 °C for three hours. In the meantime it would be possible, in any case, to contain the fire using the extinguisher system and thereby lower the temperatures acting on the tunnel.

The experience gained from the planning and construction of other railway tunnels was taken into account in the final project for the Brenner Basis Tunnel. This permitted the optimization of all safety fittings and installations.