In December 2012 the Austrian Federal Railways (OBB) put the "Vienna - St. Pölten" high-speed railway line into operation. In total, 34.8 km of the 50 km long new twin-track line were built in tunnels. In other words, approx. 70 % of the line is located in tunnels. The longest of the eight tunnels is the Wienerwald tunnel with a length of 13.4 km. The whole line is designed for a maximum speed of 250 km/h and with maximum longitudinal gradients of 8‰. The planning process (which started in 1990!) and the operation start-up procedure (which took place in 2011/12) of the new line was accompanied by a number of objectives. The main objective consisted in setting new standards in tunnel safety in terms o f structural issues, technical solutions and operational procedures. The essential question to be addressed was how to effectively manage an emergency at the interface of human beings and innovative technical solutions. When it comes to meeting the requirements to obtain the necessary operating permit, every large-scale railway infrastructure project needs intense cooperation between project management, signalling and control management, and emergency services. For that matter, the following aspects are of vital importance: (1) For railway lines with many different tunnels, transparent harmonised guidelines for emergency services approaching the tunnel in case of an emergency (access by vehicle and on foot) are imperative. (2) There is a strong need for standardised tunnel safety facilities and measures and for standardised operation management processes to ease the handling of emergencies. (3) Emergency documents (emergency response plans, check lists, etc.) should be elaborated using a standardised structure and layout and should be delivered to all parties involved in due time. (4) As an important part of the permitting process, the exercise programmes need to be systematically structured and scheduled (training sessions, complex multi-scale exercises). (5) A proper and disciplined communication between key personnel is the most challenging task during an emergency. Exercises covering various realistic scenarios represent the most effective means to improve and optimise emergency communication.
With high speed to a safe emergency handling - Vienna - St. Pölten tunnel high-speed line
2014
8 Seiten, Bilder, Tabellen
Aufsatz (Konferenz)
Englisch
New Vienna-St. Pölten railway line, Perschling tunnel
IuD Bahn | 2007
|IuD Bahn | 1994
|Hochleistungsstrecke Wien - St. Pölten
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