SECURITY AND PASSENGER SAFETY
Safe, secure and sub-marine
Keeping passengers safe when they are 50 metres below the seabed is a real challenge, says Robert Gregory of Eurotunnel.
P
roviding passengers with a safe envi- ronment to travel can be a complex
business and involves looking at every per- spective – especially when your passengers are travelling in their own vehicles.
“The security and safety of passen- gers is our number one concern,” says Robert Gregory, security manager for Eurotunnel.
“As part of ensuring safety and security, we operate an inspection regime where we check customer vehicles, whether they be passenger or freight, to see if they are car- rying explosives or other prohibited items.
“On our freight services we either x-ray the entire vehicle – we have two x-ray ma- chines in the UK and two in France – or we will use trace detection technology, which is also used in our checks on passengers.
“This involves taking a swab at certain points on the vehicle, which is then passed through the detection equipment to see if there are any traces of explosives.”
Of course this is not an ordinary rail serv- ice – it is one that passes under water and across borders so the security checks need to reflect that.
Gregory explained: “Aside from trace de- tection, we carry out manual searches on our passengers’ vehicles, where we open up the vehicles to search for any prohib-
€200,000 Channel Tunnel safety test
Emergency services leapt into action in a joint Anglo-French overnight test examin- ing preparedness in the event of an inci- dent in the Channel Tunnel.
Eurotunnel staff and crews from fire and rescue services, paramedics and police from both countries joined in the exercise.
It is the only safety exercise of its type and magnitude in Europe, costing around €200,000.
The exercise, in January 2011, simulated
ited items. We also have our access control system, which includes operating CCTV throughout the terminal and also the checks which are carried out by both the UK and French authorities.
“By operating this level of security we are keeping our passengers safe and our infra- structure safe, so that we can continue to offer a high quality service to our custom- ers.
“Our main consideration is not only the safety of our passengers, but also that of everybody who works at Eurotunnel.”
So, following the highly-publicised inci- dents of trains breaking down in the tunnel at the end of 2009, Eurotunnel and fellow operator Eurostar have also jointly funded the procurement of two additional rescue locomotives, which can haul stranded trains to safety.
Gregory said: “From a security point of
the breakdown of a Eurostar train in the North Running Tunnel, the evacuation of approximately 100 passengers, four re- quiring medical assistance, and their on- ward transfer to Folkestone and Coquelles (Pas-de-Calais) where they were cared for at an ‘emergency reception area’.
More than 150 members of the French and British emergency services, 20 judges and observers, two Eurostar trains and 18 STTS (service tunnel transport system) ve- hicles were involved.
Eurotunnel and Deutsche Bahn conducted a similar evacuation exercise in October,
view, the main focus of our efforts is en- suring that our customers have confidence in using our system and know that we operate really high standards of security, so they feel secure in the integrity of our system.
“We are also continuously looking at how we can upgrade security systems. We spend a considerable amount of money every year on our security.
“We are currently going through a three year upgrade programme of our security systems and have just updated the whole CCTV system.
“We are now looking to upgrade our access control systems. We have also recently purchased new trace detection equipment and new baggage x-rays that were installed last year.”
FOR MORE INFORMATION Visit
www.eurotunnel.com
with a view to the German company run- ning services to London via the Channel Tunnel in the future.
Tunnel chief operating officer, Michel Bou- doussier, said: “The regular organisation of this type of real-time exercise shows the importance the Group attaches to the safety of its customers, its staff and the goods transported through the Tunnel.
“It is imperative the personnel of the rail companies which use the Channel Tunnel are not only familiar with but also com- pletely trained for this very specific envi- ronment.”
rail technology magazine Feb/Mar 11 | 85
Eurotunnel has to conduct thorough security checks of vehicles using the tunnel
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