border tunnels

Rafael Lopez Guarga
Ingeniero de Caminos, Canales y Puertos
Head of Road Demarcation of Aragon
Highways
Ministerio de Fomento

ABSTRACT
Often the border between two countries coincides with orographic barriers to be overcome with infrastructure often unique as cross-border tunnels, vital almost always from the national strategic point of view because of them depends largely on the proper provision of transport goods between these countries.

The text makes a compilation of the characteristics of the main existing cross-border tunnels in Western Europe, and expected short and medium term. singular attention to road tunnels type is given, but also include those dedicated to the service of the railway.

A topical issue to which he pays special attention is to accidents in tunnels, and especially those that occur as a result fires inside. Not just a list of the main occurred throughout history include tunnel fires, but analyzes its main consequences and describes the major recommendations to be drawn from recent accidents occurred.

The article ends with a series of comments about the influence of the human factor in accidents, enumeration and description of the main infrastructures existing in tunnels security, and supplementary equipment helps the user of a tunnel in case of accident and fire.

KEYWORDS
Tunnel, cross-border tunnel, fire, safety, tunnel equipment.