This is a hundred times more dangerous! - video showing how the Sopron tunnel works

With the help of the well-known presenter Szecso, Magyar Koncessziós Infrastruktúra Fejlesztő Zrt. gave an insight into the special system that operates the Sopron tunnel.In the video, the operator Tamás Balassa-Berek, operations foreman, and Attila Szőke, tunnel dispatcher, explained the special elements that were used to equip the tunnel pair on the M85, which was opened on 14 December last year.

More than forty cameras scanning the square

The film reveals that the tunnel, which has a complete traffic management system, can measure vehicle speed, following distance and car height, among other things. "In the event of an oversized vehicle, the system stops the tunnel traffic, just like in the event of an accident or fire," said Tamás Balassa-Berek.

A total of 44 cameras monitor motorists' movements in the 780-metre tunnel pair, including 28 event detection cameras, which can do much more.

The tunnel is under the control of the MKIF railway engineer in Nagycenk, from where the tunnel is also remote-controlled. Here they can see practically everything that happens in the tunnel.

A hundred times more dangerous than happening on the open road

The reason for the extremely extensive control of the tunnel can also be seen in the video: 'We always emphasise that this is a dangerous plant', Attila Szőke pointed out. "If any traffic disruption happens in the tunnel, it is a hundred times more dangerous than if it happens on the open line."

He added that for all traffic situations, they have manually triggered programs that run the necessary traffic signals on their displays. "Through a matrix system, we are prepared for each hypothetical emergency: we have the protocol for how the different steps follow each other."

Rescue is carried out in close cooperation with the authorities

To make the above steps routine, safety drills are regular in the tunnel. At the time the video was filmed, firefighters were practising, while we also reported on an accident simulation that took place during a trial run before the tunnel was opened last October.

Then, in cooperation with the tunnel operator, disaster management, the police and the ambulance service, successfully modelled a collision between a small lorry and a tanker carrying diesel fuel in a so-called rear-end collision.

The video also showed that the two tunnels running parallel (the two traffic directions run in two separate tunnels, the north and south tunnels - ed.) are connected by a system of overpressure sluices. When the doors are opened, this system sounds an alarm and closes the tunnel entrances. In the event of a fire, the system provides air pressure and an escape route for those trapped inside.

The human factor must be added by road users

Finally, the film showed the energy centre as the soul of the tunnel, which showed that it is virtually impossible to lose power in the tunnel. The tunnel's power supply is triple: the primary power source can be replaced by a backup circuit, but even that can be replaced by a diesel generator in the worst case. So all the electronic equipment is always available.

One of the key messages of the video was that the only thing that the maintainers cannot add to the system is the human factor. "Although many people are not aware of it, signage, signs and traffic lights on the roads are just as mandatory and part of KRESZ as they are in an urban environment," Attila Szőke, dispatcher, concluded.

In conclusion, MKIF stressed the importance of road users following the rules in the tunnel environment in order to maintain traffic safety. "The company also specifically requests that drivers always follow the instructions of the KRESZ signs, traffic lights and various signage!"