Behind the Scenes of the Tyne Tunnels: More Than Just a Journey, watch now.
When you drive through the Tyne Tunnels, it might seem like you’re simply getting from A to B.
However, it’s more than just a journey!
Let’s take you on a tour behind the scenes of one of the North East’s most critical pieces of transport infrastructure.
Behind the Breeze: Meet the Jet Fans
From entering the tunnel, you will notice fans at the top of the tunnel. These are jet fans, and there are 42 of them installed along both tunnels. Their mission? Keeping the air clean and breathable.
During rush hour, when more traffic is in the tunnels and emissions start to rise, the fans kick in to clear out pollutants. But interestingly, they’re also needed when there’s hardly any traffic at all. Why? Without cars moving air forward and naturally dragging pollution in the direction of travel (also called the Piston Effect), stale air can build up. So, the jet fans are back in action to keep the tunnel clean and safe for our customers, but also our team working in the tunnel, from carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxide, and nitrogen dioxide.
Your Emergency Escape Route
Ever noticed those large green doors on the tunnel walls and wondered, “Where do those go?” They’re escape routes, located at 100m intervals.
In the unlikely event of an emergency like a fire, these doors open into escape galleries. Once opened, emergency lighting is activated, and glowing green running signs appear, pointing you to the nearest exits either north or south. Lighting within the tunnel is covered by two 11Kv supplies as well as a battery backup in case of failure.
Lighting the Way
There are 458 LED lights in the tunnel, 251 Southbound and 207 Northbound. These were upgraded from older lighting systems to energy-efficient LEDs that offer better brightness, longer life, and lower maintenance. Transitional lighting is used so that the driver’s ability to see is maintained as they approach, enter, travel through, and eventually exit the tunnel. During an incident, the lighting will be increased to give response teams improved visibility.
Fire Safety, Upgraded
So what happens in the event of a fire?
There is a Fixed Fire Suppression system in each tunnel, which can be activated automatically by SCADA, a system that controls and monitors the status of all other systems and equipment, which then alerts the control room.
The Fixed Fire Suppression system was the first of its kind to be installed in a British tunnel, and was a strong desire by Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue Service. It can target up to three fire zones at once , the affected zone and one on either side. There is a water tank located in the South Extract Building, capable of shifting water at 45 litres per second, which supplies the system and is capable of containing a fully laden HGV fire.
16 screens, One Responsibility
In our Control Room, we have 16 – multi view monitors, with a full view of both tunnels. This allows our Controller to monitor and see the traffic flow through the tunnels, and look out for any incidents or breakdowns, enabling our team to respond as quickly as possible to them.
The people of TT2
But it’s not just screens and systems. TT2 is powered by 130 employees across 10 departments, and every day is a busy one!
From our Product Team, they are the brains behind the Tyne Tunnels app and website. Whether it’s making it easier to Top-up your account or evolving the customer experience, they’re constantly developing. To our Customer Experience Team, the voices you hear on the other end of your calls, they’re dedicated to making sure your questions get answers and helping you reach a solution.
Then you have our Operations and Maintenance teams who make sure your journey is as safe as possible, on shift 24/7 to respond to breakdowns, manage incidents and maintain the tunnels infrastructure.
Our Marketing & Communications team work on sharing vital updates, answering your questions online, and ensuring everyone stays in the loop with clear, helpful information.
Our Safety and Environmental department is also a crucial part of our operation, they focus on make sure all is safe for both our customers and our team. Our Environmental department has driven us to take action towards Net Zero, pushing us toward a cleaner and greener future.
It doesn’t stop there, we then have our core business functions, with People Services, Finance, Business Improvements, IT and Data.
So next time you’re driving through, take a moment to appreciate the hidden magic all around you. It’s not just a tunnel!
Learn more about why you pay a toll here.