Eurostar trains stuck in tunnel due to cold weather (19 December 2009)

[whole diary]

[Tim]

Eurostar expects to pay passengers ^10m compensation. From the

I assume that keeping a class 92 rescue loco on standby at each end of the tunnel would have cost considerably less. 

[eightf48544]

I would have thought that it ought to be mandatory in the tunnel operating rules that there are Thunderbird locos at both ends.

After all they made enough fuss about the Eurostars being spittableel and all the self closing fire doors

Better still might be a tunnel rescue train as on the DB^» (Deutsche Bahn - German State Railway - about) high speed lines, an adapted car carrier with bench seats, or a train of double deck RE^▸ (Religious Education) coaches, to which passengers could transfer across to the road tunnel.They could be pre equiped with bottled water and dry longlasting sancks.

Is there still one at Newport for the Seven tunnel?

Given the crossovers within the tunnel it ought to be possible to set target to get a loco attached and the train moving or the rescue train positioned.

I would say 60 minutes but that might be ambitious but no more than 90 minutes.

Otherwise as others have said  it ought to be possible to get food and water to the stranded passengers via the road tunnel within 90 minutes as well.

[Tim]

I would have thought that it ought to be mandatory in the tunnel operating rules that there are Thunderbird locos at both ends.

After all they made enough fuss about the Eurostars being spittableel and all the self closing fire doors

Better still might be a tunnel rescue train as on the DB^» (Deutsche Bahn - German State Railway - about) high speed lines, an adapted car carrier with bench seats, or a train of double deck RE^▸ (Religious Education) coaches, to which passengers could transfer across to the road tunnel.They could be pre equiped with bottled water and dry longlasting sancks.

Is there still one at Newport for the Seven tunnel?

Given the crossovers within the tunnel it ought to be possible to set target to get a loco attached and the train moving or the rescue train positioned.

I would say 60 minutes but that might be ambitious but no more than 90 minutes.

Otherwise as others have said  it ought to be possible to get food and water to the stranded passengers via the road tunnel within 90 minutes as well.

There is definately some kind of yellow rescue DMU^▸ (Diesel Multiple Unit) parked between the Severn Tunnel and Severn Tunnel Junction.  I understand that Newport fire station has a road/rail vehicle on its premises that could be used in the tunnel. 

It puzzles me why one of the trains was towed all the way to london using one of Eurotunnels slow speed desel shunters.   Even if there not dedictaed thunderbirds, there must have been more suitable electric frieght traction sitting in yards near the tunnel portals.   Or is there a coupling compatibility problem at work here?

[Brusselier]

Eurostar Independent Review published today

http://www.eurostarindependentreview.org/

Sat down and read it all this afternoon, some interesting points within it. It was good to see that they didn't hold back about condemning Eurostar as much as I thought they might, though there was some interspersed flattery of Eurostar!

Regarding thunderbirds, these were used, but there is only one set at each end and they had 5 trains to save (one thunderbird did rescue two trains at once though!)

I haven't yet done my out-of-pocket expenses claim yet, I might quote a few passages back at them when I do.

[John R]

I noticed on ORR^» (Office of Rail and Road formerly Office of Rail Regulation - about) site this week an approval for the Eurotunnel rescue locos to run into Ashford without TPWS^▸ (Train Protection and Warning System). A bit like shutting the stable door after the horse has bolted.