Comments on: WITH 2 RECENT MAJOR INFRASTRUCTURE FAILURES, BOTH HS1 AND EUROSTAR NEED BETTER CONTINGENCY PLANS https://www.eurorailcampaignuk.org/with-2-recent-major-infrastructure-failures-both-hs1-and-eurostar-need-better-contingency-plans/ The Campaign for Better Rail Links to and from the UK and across Europe Tue, 30 Jan 2024 19:39:35 +0000 hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=7.0 By: Ian Ring https://www.eurorailcampaignuk.org/with-2-recent-major-infrastructure-failures-both-hs1-and-eurostar-need-better-contingency-plans/#comment-12 Tue, 30 Jan 2024 19:39:35 +0000 https://www.eurorailcampaignuk.org/?p=2444#comment-12 I passed the failed train at around 13.30. It was not on the mainline by then and it had two diesel engines attached to the rear. Eurostar seems to treat its passengers as commodities not people. Everyone on that train wanted to go forward to their European destination not back to London. A recovery plan from an incident like that needs to recognise that. Once made safe the train could have been hauled back to Ashford. Meanwhile a replacement train could have been brought to Ashford and passengers would have a cross platform change of train.

The ingress of water in the Thames tunnel would be more difficult to implement a recovery plan. As my namesake says there would be too many passsengers and trains to use Ebbsfleet as a terminal for all trains. However a way needs to be found to do something. Maybe turning 50% at Ebbsfleet and 50% at Ashford with the SouthEastern service from Ashford to London via Tonbridge and Maidstone strengthened

Both these incidents are strong arguments for the immediate re-opening of both Ebbsfleet and Ashford.

Ian Ring

]]> By: Ian Mcdonald https://www.eurorailcampaignuk.org/with-2-recent-major-infrastructure-failures-both-hs1-and-eurostar-need-better-contingency-plans/#comment-11 Tue, 30 Jan 2024 16:00:57 +0000 https://www.eurorailcampaignuk.org/?p=2444#comment-11 I recall that Eurotunnel acquired diesel locos to haul failed Eurostars or shuttles out of the tunnels. But of course they would have been of no use in either of these two failure incidents. Eurostar sets have their own foolish inbuilt lack of flexibility, There is no alternative route available in and out of St Pancras. The trains cannot run to any other London terminal, as they are far too long to fit any other platforms, the third rail power shoes were removed and even the viaduct at Vauxhall is no longer available. In any case Eurostar is incapable of providing adequate security and border controls at any other station. Ebbsfleet terminal is tiny, and Ashford would struggle to cope with two or three thousand passengers, every hour or so, even if the security check was omitted on a temporary basis, as border controls would ensure huge queues and no booths for inspection. In these two incidents the SE HS trains could not run either, so the routes to Ashford would have to have been from Victoria, London Bridge or Charing Cross to Ashford via classic line services via Tonbridge or Maidstone. As usual Eurostar’s contingency plans were utterly hopeless. Ian McDonald

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