Emergency Communication Plan for Highway Tunnels


Release date:

2026-05-23

As highway conditions become increasingly complex, the timely transmission, sharing, and interoperability of communication information naturally require a robust emergency communication system for highway tunnels.

Highways are a vital means of addressing intercity transportation. According to the national highway development plan, China has essentially established a national expressway network. However, as a mountainous country—particularly in regions like Tibet—building highways in such areas often necessitates the use of road tunnels. With the accelerating pace of highway tunnel construction, while we celebrate the speed and convenience that highways bring, it is equally crucial to ensure smooth, safe, and unimpeded traffic flow within these tunnels. In the context of highway emergency response systems, emergency communications play an especially critical role.

Existing user environment: Fiber optic cables have already been laid. Recommended equipment: ZMUX-32

User requirement: Extend the 30 telephone lines of the General Administration to the highway tunnel endpoints via fiber-optic links, enabling rapid dialing of emergency numbers when a fault occurs in the tunnel and promptly reporting the situation to relevant higher-level authorities.

Solution topology diagram:

Scheme Description:

A 12‑core optical fiber cable has been laid between the central office and the highway tunnel end as the transmission link. At the central office, the YinXun optical terminal ZMUX‑32 provides 30 FXO loop‑start trunk interfaces, which are connected to 30 analog subscriber lines from the user’s PBX (main switchboard). An audio patch panel is used for wiring in between. After the 30 telephone channels are multiplexed at the YinXun optical terminal ZMUX‑32, they are converted into a single optical signal and transmitted over fiber optic cable to the remote end. At the remote end, the 30 FXS analog subscriber interfaces of the highway tunnel’s YinXun optical terminal ZMUX‑32 are directly connected to 30 telephones, each assigned a unique extension number. On each side of the highway tunnel, 15 extension numbers are provided, linked via large‑pair cables—each telephone requiring two conductors—enabling the 30 telephones within the tunnel to make free calls to any extension on the central office’s PBX. Additionally, the central office switchboard allows external dialing, while the 30 remote telephones can also communicate freely with one another internally.

Solution Advantages:

This solution offers excellent value for money, with a single pair of devices capable of meeting all user requirements. The equipment occupies minimal space and is easy to install and maintain. Its modular design ensures that failures in any individual telephone interface do not affect others. It also boasts strong scalability, featuring multi‑level lightning protection that can withstand 4,000 V surges, resulting in very few instances of damage even during typical thunderstorms. The system supports both optical and electrical port transmission and can further accommodate one 10/100Base‑T Ethernet interface.

At present, the transportation system, as a vital national transport sector, ensures the smooth functioning of both production and daily life through its stable day-to-day operations. However, with its numerous departments spread across diverse locations and complex on-site conditions, it faces significant challenges in routine maintenance. Implementing an emergency communication system for highway tunnels within the transportation network can effectively address these issues. By using management computers or duty consoles, real-time, end-to-end communication can be established to promptly assess on-site conditions, substantially reducing the workload of field personnel, facilitating the early identification of potential hazards, and enabling rapid response. This, in turn, ensures that command officers at all levels can access timely information, make informed decisions, and issue instructions to on-site rescue teams.

Leave A Message


Fill in the message form and leave your contact information. Our staff will contact you within 24 hours (workdays).