Hamm, Germany.

[adamanteus]

You can't drive through the tunnel, you have to load your car onto a train.

They really thought that one through, didn't they?

[Sputnik]

Yeah, indeed. I guess they might have thought it would be safer. If you imagine all these cars underground, with many drivers able to make mistakes, crashes could be more severe than if you load them all onto a train, where they can't move independently. A pile-up in the tunnel would be a total nightmare and the fire risk would be enormous.

[adamanteus]

With the exception of the fire risk, I see no difference between a crash in a tunnel or on a normal motorway. I think they did it this way so that they could charge a much higher toll.

[Sputnik]

Yeah, you're probably right.

[Lulu Bennett]

but an explosion is a hell of a lot worse. people will die because of that, because of the crash, stampeeding on the way out, no access for fire crews so that would lead to an inferno in a compact area...

[Gijs & Sabine]

@ Tore: Udo said there is already an EGSA meeting, so I think when you and other members from the forum want to meet eachother, let's do it then !! We (or at least me, Sabine) will visit that meeting. I hope others will too
In the link you see the the floor plan of the building.

There is usualy an inofficial and open EGSA meeting at 13.00 on the left side of the "Tribühnenhalle".

..:: Terraristika Hamm ::.. - Zentralhallen Hamm

[adamanteus]

Trains can burn too, and derail, the same problems apply. Fire crews have trouble accessing the scene of an accident on a blocked motorway. I believe the tunnel has parallel service roads for just such an instance.
I think it's just the claustrobic feeling you get imagining a crash in there...but in truth it would be the same.

[Lulu Bennett]

but there are alot more car crashes than there are train crashes

[adamanteus]

Lulu, maybe we should argue this one elsewhere? We're hijacking the Hamm thread with our talk of horrific underground carnage!

[drache]

I believe the reason they did it that way was because trains have lower emissions, requiring less elaborate ventilation, thus reducing both construction and maintenance costs considerably, which at the time was possibly the biggest driving factor behind the decision
now, it kind of makes environmental sense as well
just imagine the amount of heat generated by a massive traffic jam, which it was bound to be