Protection of the SBB conservation and intervention centre in Biasca from falling processes

Located near the southern portal of the Gotthard Base Tunnel, the SBB Maintenance and Intervention Center in Biasca is a maintenance facility that includes a station for an SBB firefighting and rescue train. The center’s premises currently face the threat of falling rocks and “stone splinters” – a rare occurrence in Switzerland.

EBP ascertained the risk associated with the current situation and assessed the acceptability of the risk in light of the applicable safety provisions. The risk analysis was carried out for various hazard scenarios developed by an experienced geology firm. To complete the analysis, we broke the premises of the Maintenance and Intervention Center down into ten subzones. We also drafted penetration estimates to assess the vulnerability of the buildings and the people in them.

The scope of the project included an evaluation of the planned protective measures and the extent to which the measures need to be supplemented. We concluded our assignment by applying a cost-effectiveness analysis to determine the optimal protective measures.