ABSTRACT
The paper describes the principles that guided the design of emergency management in the construction of the Mont Cenis base tunnel, the main work of the new Turin - Lyon line, Corridor 5 of the TEN-T network. The revision of the final design concluded in 2017 allowed to redefine the safety concept of the construction phase of the tunnel, which, with its length of more than 56 km, represents the longest railway tunnel under construction. The access conditions, overburdens higher than 2000m and long distances between the excavation faces favored scenarios where self-rescue with workers staying in safe places is the optimal choice for emergency management and the recovery of all people underground. In parallel, the strengths of the emergency and rescue management system are the new technologies for monitoring presence and plant operation, and the involvement of the public rescue services from the planning stages and their participation in on-site training sessions with direct knowledge of the workplaces with dedicated rescue vehicles and equipment. Finally, the first real cases of intervention allowed the system to be tested and action to be taken to improve its performance.
