The flame ceiling jet is easily formed while the onfire train stops in the tunnel. The iterative formula is derived to calculate the average temperature of the flame ceiling jet when the fire source is set on the center of the train by establishing a onedimensional model of the unit control volume

and the heat exchange is considered among the flame smoke and the wall of the tunnel and the train. Undetermined coefficients in the iterative formula are determined by smallscale model experiments with the scale factor of 1:8 and numerical simulation. The calculated values of temperature by the iterative formula are consistent well with the measured values

and the maximum error of calculation is no more than 7%

which indicates that the iterative formula is reliable. The results show that the distributions of the average temperature of flame ceiling jet are in the exponential form

but there are some differences between that above the train and that in the tunnel. Two prediction formulas for the flame ceiling jet average temperature changing along the longitudinal tunnel are obtained by the subfitting method. The results can provide reference for the alarm parameter selection

device settings in tunnel

safety evacuation of the passenger

as well as the analysis of the destructive effects on the tunnel lining structure caused by tunnel fire.