Railway tunnels are safe places, as is the entire railway system, where the safety levels are higher compared to road transport. According to statistics, the risks for passengers and train equipment are lower inside the tunnels than along the railway network, because accidents caused by collisions, level crossings, collisions with various obstacles (cars, trees, shunting trains etc.) or natural causes practically don’t happen in tunnels. As for rail traffic, the number of accidents per train-km is lower than the number of accidents which occur on open field. However, the evacuation and rescue actions are more difficult inside the tunnels. Practically, there are three types of accidents that can occur inside the tunnels: derailment, collisions or fire (they all have operational causes). In order to prevent these accidents from happening, but also to enhance the technological progress in the field of tunnel safety based on harmonised and viable measures, the EU has elaborated the Technical Specifications for Interoperability (TSI) on tunnel safety. The objective of these TSIs is to elaborate measures related to infrastructures, power supply sub-systems, command-control and signalling, rolling stock and exploitation, traffic management in order to set an optimum safety level based on cost-effective measures. However, the costs related to the implementation of tunnel safety projects can increase if a tunnel is longer than 20 km. In this case, it is necessary to perform special investigations which lead to the application of additional safety measures in order to allow train access. These TSIs apply to tunnels longer than 1 km. Successive tunnels are not considered as a single tunnel if the open area which separates them is longer than 500 m and if there is an access/exit facility towards a safe area. The TSIs also stipulate the specific conditions concerning the rolling stock that can operate inside tunnels with a length of up to 5 km, as well as the vehicles that can operate in all types of tunnels.
The priorities related to transport safety in tunnels include: preventing accidents, reducing damages, facilitating evacuation and rescue. However, cost-efficiency in terms of safety is the result of an optimum combination between infrastructure, rolling stock and implementation of operational measures. Infrastructure managers and railway operators should define a safety concept valid for all types of tunnels (existing and new), which includes an emergency plan and a public service plan that ensure cooperation in case of emergency. This safety concept should prove that the safety level for all those involved in railway traffic meets the requirements established by the competent authorities.
The TSIs do not impose the use of certain technologies or technical solutions, except for the case in which they would be needed to ensure the interoperability of the Trans-European network. In order to provide a safe transport service, investments should be made in the application of such a concept, innovative solutions and equipment, in the rehabilitation of tunnels at infrastructure level, as well as in various trials used to develop new technologies in the field. In order to ensure tunnel safety, it is necessary to acquire equipment that facilitates train exit, as well as trains equipped with proper installations and the rolling stock should be equipped with passenger information systems for emergency situations.
Moreover, it is recommended to implement systems that can ensure safety. That is why the railway industry should develop innovative products. However, major investments are needed in order to launch new projects for a safe and efficient transport, which can lead to national and European economic growth.
In order to implement these TSIs, Member States should be encouraged to promote and support the implementation strategy. Tunnel and rolling stock rehabilitation or renewal require investments and the authorities should be able to support these projects especially if there are benefits that can be obtained and if safety can be significantly improved at low additional costs. However, in order to develop new products, companies require specific authorizations and, in this context, the competent authorities should become actively involved in supporting the industry.
“Despite the already amended interoperability and safety directives and immense efforts of the European Railway Agency (ERA) to collect and classify existing national rules and notwithstanding the publication of European Technical Specifications for Interoperability (TSI), getting an authorisation valid in more than one member state is still a very complex, lengthy and often not transparent enough process. The National Safety Authorities (NSAs) often feel free to interpret the existing rule widely in their own ways, having the negative effect that the time needed for getting international authorisations today is often longer than in the past. They demonstrated that this situation leads to unsustainable costs for the whole sector while facing harsh competition with other modes of transportation”, shows the open letter sent by CER to the European Transport Commissioner Siim Kallas.
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