THE SHUTTLE TRAINS - DESIGN AND DEVELOPMENT

The increasing design complexity, technology, and costs, associated with the shuttle trains for the Channel Tunnel, arose from the concerns of those responsible for acceptable safety standards. This paper considers the key issues which determined the final design of the rolling stock, and its compliance with the criteria laid down by the regulating authorities, which were empowered to award the required operating certificate to the fixed link concessionaire, Eurotunnel. It begins with the original brief for the shuttle design, and the basic, simplistic concept of the successful bidders. It then outlines the incremental process of requirements by the regulatory authorities, so that they could ensure that the system could be demonstrated to be safe. After the decision that heavy goods vehicles (HGVs) drivers would travel separately from their vehicles, the main focus of concern became the tourist shuttles, where it was still policy for drivers and passengers to travel in their vehicles. The increasingly complex and expensive technology for the tourist shuttle stimulated a major change of design for the HGV shuttle. This in turn affected the design of equipment in: (1) the railway control centre; (2) the tunnel's signalling system; and (3) the locomotives. The Channel Tunnel now has a superb transport system. For the covering abstract see IRRD 877203.

• Availability:
  • Find a library where document is available. Order URL: http://worldcat.org/isbn/0727720244
• Corporate Authors:

  Thomas Telford Limited

  London,   United Kingdom 
• Authors:
  • DRIVER, B
• Publication Date: 1995-11

Language

• English

Media Info

• Pagination: p. 3-12
• Serial:
  • CHANNEL TUNNEL. SUPPLEMENT TO CIVIL ENGINEERING. VOL 108. SPECIAL ISSUE 2
  • Publisher: Thomas Telford Limited

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Bridges; Districts and authorities; Fixed routes; Freight transportation; Railroad trains; Railroad transportation; Safety; Signals; Technology; Tenders; Traffic control; Transportation departments; Transportation operations; Tunnels; Underwater tunnels
• Geographic Terms: France; United Kingdom
• ITRD Terms: 137: Bid; 3363: Fixed link (transmaritime); 8036: France; 741: Goods traffic; 1144: Operations (transp network); 1173: Rail bound transport; 1665: Safety; 6967: Signal; 3855: Technology; 137: Tender; 654: Traffic control; 1268: Train; 253: Transport authority; 3374: Tunnel; 8119: United Kingdom
• Subject Areas: Bridges and other structures; Freight Transportation; Operations and Traffic Management; Railroads; Safety and Human Factors; Vehicles and Equipment;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00722412
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: Transport Research Laboratory
• ISBN: 0-7277-2024-4
• Files: ITRD
• Created Date: Jun 28 1996 12:00AM