Eurostar breakdown leaves 700 passengers stranded for seven hours
Eurostar train emerging from the English mouth of the Channel Tunnel GetLink
On the coldest day of the year, so far, you would not want to be stuck without power, in the countryside on a broken-down train. That happened on Thursday to around 700 passengers of the Eurostar however, on its way from London to Amsterdam.
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“The cross-Channel high-speed operators explained that the complex situation required adherence to safety procedures”
It would seem that the risk analysis has failed to analyse the risks associated with people being locked up in a train for 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 hours. Now it was getting cold, in the summer it would be hot. Do the analysis, determine a deadline for evacuating a powerless train, and adapt safety procedures so that they meet the deadline. Accept the cost, like an engineer on duty.
Demonstrates the usual cynical lack of concern for the passenger-there needs to be a radical re-think
Safety procedures are always an easy excuse for any incompetence. Evacuating a train outside of a tunnel is not easy but still very feasible.
If Eurostar is not willing « for safety reasons » to do that , then they need to have diesel rescue locos ready.I remember Sncf used to have them , maybe somebody knows wether they still have them?
Safety procedures are a well known excuse for incompetence. Evacuating a train is not easy but still feasible. If Eurostar is not willing to do so « for safety reasons » they need to accept having diesel locos ready for rescue. I remember Sncf had some on PSE, but wonder if they still have them.
Robustness, redundancy, surplus capacity, thus safety factors, as otherwise, by some reason, uniqely, is not present, in any respect, at railways!
Accordingly – and suboptimal – “optimal maintenance”, now has turned big business at railways…
(A mono structure type electrification, optimal 100 years ago, when steam was shifted out, no longer meets with current market’s “On Time” demand, etc.)
Now a robust, a New Old Railway is needed – and has to be provided for!