On 1st June, 2016, the Gotthard base tunnel was opened with due ceremony as the longest rail tunnel worldwide.
Each day more than 200 trains pass this tunnel with a speed of more than 250 km/h. Safety in the tunnel is a major issue. Every 300 metres there are cross-galleries in the tunnel to allow passengers to flee into the other tube in case of fire.
Fire protection in the tunnel is provided by a Siemens solution: it combines a linear thermal alarm system, thermal imaging camera and smoke detectors.
We are proud to have contributed an important part in this significant project. For this Siemens solution we provided 30 FireGuard smoke detectors which were installed at each of the subterranean train stations Sedrun and Faido. The sensor detects beginning fires already at an early stage (cold smoke) and thus reacts faster than fire alarm cables. Our instruments are protected from the harsh tunnel conditions by means of cages – which are a custom-made design for the Gotthard base tunnel.