Fire and rescue railway vehicles
CAN Newsletter Rail 2006
By Susanne Günther (SMA Technologie)
The Swiss railway network encompasses numerous tunnels that in the event of an accident make it much more difficult for the emergency services to respond quickly. For this reason, the Swiss Railway Service (SBB) has been deploying special vehicles since the 1960s that are specifically designed for use in accidents in sections of the rail network that are difficult to reach. The latest models used by the SBB and the BLS are equipped with terminal blocks that are designed for mobile use.
In Switzerland, the Neat transalpine rail expansion program was initiated during the 1990s. By constructing new base tunnels at Gotthard, Ceneri, Zimmerberg, Hirzel and Lötschberg, the aim is to create shorter and quicker north-south connections for passenger and freight traffic. The around 35-km Lötschberg base tunnel between Frutigen in the Bernese Oberland and St. German in the Rhone valley (Wallis canton) is being opened as the first transalpine route in 2007. The twin tunnel system lowers the maximum track altitude, which is currently 1 240 m above sea level, to around 825 m above sea level.
Fire and rescue
The decision to construct the Lötschberg base tunnel, including its integrated safety concept, meant that it was also necessary to modernize the fire and rescue vehicles (FRV). The new rescue concept envisages that an FRV will be stationed at both the north and south entrances to the tunnel. One rescue vehicle will be operated by the SBB and the other by the BLS.
