Before the official opening of the 14th edition of the UIC Global Rail Security Congress, jointly organised by the security directorate of Slovenian Railways, Slovenske železnice, together with UIC, a workshop on Tunnel Safety and Security is being held today in Bled, Slovenia.

The main focus of the workshop is to underline the coherence and synergy between security and safety, even if these notions and responsibilities are different. Tunnels may be seen as a sub-complex system, and the railway system needs to be considered as a whole in constant interaction with the external world.

The workshop opened with speeches delivered by Mr Bernard Penners and Mr Marc Antoni representing UIC, and underlined the fact that tunnels need a comprehensive protection approach, and that there is a need to manage risks and threats in a systemic way.

UIC presented the main tunnel pathologies and the proposed innovative methods in order to minimise:

• Risk of tunnel collapse (strengthening)
• Risk when carrying our work (phasing)
• Other operational risks (TIT, AWT)

Specific emphasis was placed on the risk management approach including safety and security: prevention, attenuation, evacuation and rescue aspects. If the TSI is only applicable for new or refurbished tunnels, UIC strongly supports all “existing tunnel securing” actions in application, complete or partial, of the measures proposed by the TSI Tunnel.

Mr Stanislav LotriČ, from ACPDR, Slovenia, gave a presentation on fire safety in public railway infrastructure.

Mr Denis Luyten from UITP, Belgium shared his report about an initial experience using drones in the Belgian underground system.

At the end of each session, a solution provider presented some technical answers: Mr Emin Simszek from BOSCH, Turkey, about BOSCH security and safety applications in tunnels and Mr Steffen De Muynck, from FLIR, Belgium, about thermal safety systems for rail tunnels.

Safety and security have to be increasingly considered together. This is the reason why the Rail System Department strongly supported the 14th Security Congress.

Reminder of the five main roles of the RSD:

• Forums: give experts from all over the world the opportunity to discuss project management, research, benchmarking, address problems...
• Anticipation: Define possibilities of common rail technology strategies on a regional level but also worldwide = common rail standards
• Third neutral party in different contractual or technical aspects
• Communication, dissemination / training of future railway staff
• Representative of the railways at governmental organisations to support the railway sector. Our vision for the railway: transportation, mobility, accessibility to mobility, collaboration between modes

Studies: Second speech of Marc Antoni: Safety in Tunnels – Repair work in tunnels

• Presentation of the results of a working group of more than a dozen members, led by the Rail System Department (PoSe group) for the maintenance of tunnels. This subject is particularly important in view of the risks described above and the strong impact of this work on the regularity of rail networks.
• This is why it is necessary to update our knowledge and techniques
• Need for an optimised management of maintenance works

This work was reported on guidelines: repair work in tunnels, Report – Main Topics: General data of tunnel assets/current operations in tunnels (minor repairs, maintenance)/ Modes of intervention for repair works in tunnels/ Repair techniques on railway platform/Tunnel crow / Innovative methods/ Feedback about repair work techniques/ future outcomes