ABSTRACT
The Montcenis base tunnel between Italy and France is part of a series of 20+ km-long railway tunnels that have recently replaced, or are replacing, the older mountain pass crossings. These long tunnels require a specific look at the aspects of railway safety and accident management. For cross-border tunnels, the granting of safety certifications is complicated by the juxtaposition of multiple national authorities. This paper begins with a short description of the procedures followed for the Channel and Brenner links, which are similar to the future Montcenis base tunnel. The particular Italian-French bi-national context characterizing this latter is then presented under three aspects: the definition of a reference regulatory framework, its harmonization, and the initiatives followed to obtain the “Clearance for Development and Completion of the Project” from the respective National Agencies, as well as, upon completion of all work, the “Clearance for the Commercial Commissioning” of the infrastructure.
