Eurotunnel Shuttle
Encyclopedia
Eurotunnel Le Shuttle is a shuttle service between Calais
/Coquelles
in France
and Folkestone
in Britain
. It conveys road vehicles by rail through the Channel Tunnel
. Passenger and freight vehicles are carried in separate shuttle trains.
The service is owned and operated by Eurotunnel
, the Channel Tunnel owners.
than either British or French railways; consequently they cannot travel outside the tunnel and the two terminals at Coquelles and Folkestone
. Each terminal is provided with a loop of track
. After a train comes out of the tunnel, it goes round the loop and stops at the unloading / loading platform. It is then unloaded, and re-loaded with a new set of vehicles. It then starts the return journey through the tunnel.
The loop at Folkestone is clockwise, while the loop at Coquelles is anti-clockwise. This evens the wear on the wheels of the shuttle locomotives and vehicles, as each set (left or right) spends only half the time as the outer edge of the line.
, made up of closed wagons. Half of the train (the rear rake) carries cars and other low vehicles in double-deck wagons, with the first and last two carriages of the section containing the access ramps. Coaches, buses and other high vehicles travel in the single-deck rake at the front of the train. In busy times, cars can also use this section.
Driver and passengers may leave their vehicles and walk along the train.
Eurotunnel occasionally run trains at 'half full', closing the top deck to reduce costs.
Toilets are provided in every third carriage in the double-deck section, and in the first and last carriages in the single-deck section.
Cyclists can use the Eurotunnel Shuttle to travel between Great Britain and France. This is achieved through the bicycles being housed in specially-adapted trailers and the cyclists travelling in a minibus
are carried on semi-open wagons, with a separate passenger carriage at the front of the train for the drivers. This arrangement is a form of rolling highway
, but operates over a much shorter distance than most rolling highways.
), one at the front and one at the back, and both must be manned so that the train can be reversed out in case of a blockage. There are also attendants. In the case of the freight vehicle shuttles, the attendants ride in the passenger carriage at the front of the train with the lorry drivers; in the passenger vehicle shuttles, they patrol the train.
Passenger vehicle carriages are sealed off with fireproof doors and are pressurised. These doors are closed once all vehicles are loaded. They include smaller pedestrian doors that may be opened when the train is in motion to move from one carriage to the next but then close automatically.
Eurotunnel has been criticised for failing to implement measures to prevent or extinguish fires in the open framed large goods vehicle carrying wagons; recommendations made by the Fire Brigade Union in 1996 following a fire in the Channel Tunnel, that closed wagons should be used to prevent the spread of fire, were not acted upon.
Calais
Calais is a town in Northern France in the department of Pas-de-Calais, of which it is a sub-prefecture. Although Calais is by far the largest city in Pas-de-Calais, the department's capital is its third-largest city of Arras....
/Coquelles
Coquelles
Coquelles is a commune in the Pas-de-Calais department near Calais in northern France.It is known informally as the town of the Channel Tunnel. The town comprises a shopping centre, hotels and farm in vieille Coquelles , part of the L'Européene autoroute and the Channel Tunnel terminal.The...
in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
and Folkestone
Folkestone
Folkestone is the principal town in the Shepway District of Kent, England. Its original site was in a valley in the sea cliffs and it developed through fishing and its closeness to the Continent as a landing place and trading port. The coming of the railways, the building of a ferry port, and its...
in Britain
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
. It conveys road vehicles by rail through the Channel Tunnel
Channel Tunnel
The Channel Tunnel is a undersea rail tunnel linking Folkestone, Kent in the United Kingdom with Coquelles, Pas-de-Calais near Calais in northern France beneath the English Channel at the Strait of Dover. At its lowest point, it is deep...
. Passenger and freight vehicles are carried in separate shuttle trains.
The service is owned and operated by Eurotunnel
Eurotunnel
Groupe Eurotunnel S.A. manages and operates the Channel Tunnel between Britain and France. The Company operates the car shuttle services and earns revenue on other trains passing through the tunnel...
, the Channel Tunnel owners.
Operation
The carriages used for the shuttle have a larger loading gaugeLoading gauge
A loading gauge defines the maximum height and width for railway vehicles and their loads to ensure safe passage through bridges, tunnels and other structures...
than either British or French railways; consequently they cannot travel outside the tunnel and the two terminals at Coquelles and Folkestone
Eurotunnel Folkestone Terminal
The Eurotunnel Folkestone Terminal is a railway terminal built for the transport of road-going vehicles on specially constructed trains through the Channel Tunnel...
. Each terminal is provided with a loop of track
Balloon loop
A balloon loop or turning loop allows a rail vehicle or train to reverse direction without having to shunt or even stop. Balloon loops can be useful for passenger trains and unit freight trains, such as coal trains....
. After a train comes out of the tunnel, it goes round the loop and stops at the unloading / loading platform. It is then unloaded, and re-loaded with a new set of vehicles. It then starts the return journey through the tunnel.
The loop at Folkestone is clockwise, while the loop at Coquelles is anti-clockwise. This evens the wear on the wheels of the shuttle locomotives and vehicles, as each set (left or right) spends only half the time as the outer edge of the line.
Passenger vehicles
Passenger vehicles are carried in a car shuttle trainCar shuttle train
A car shuttle train, or car-carrying train , is a train used to transport accompanied cars, or automobiles, and usually also other types of road vehicles, for a relatively short distance.Car shuttle trains usually operate on lines passing through a rail tunnel and connecting two...
, made up of closed wagons. Half of the train (the rear rake) carries cars and other low vehicles in double-deck wagons, with the first and last two carriages of the section containing the access ramps. Coaches, buses and other high vehicles travel in the single-deck rake at the front of the train. In busy times, cars can also use this section.
Driver and passengers may leave their vehicles and walk along the train.
Eurotunnel occasionally run trains at 'half full', closing the top deck to reduce costs.
Toilets are provided in every third carriage in the double-deck section, and in the first and last carriages in the single-deck section.
Cyclists can use the Eurotunnel Shuttle to travel between Great Britain and France. This is achieved through the bicycles being housed in specially-adapted trailers and the cyclists travelling in a minibus
Minibus
A minibus or minicoach is a passenger carrying motor vehicle that is designed to carry more people than a multi-purpose vehicle or minivan, but fewer people than a full-size bus. In the United Kingdom, the word "minibus" is used to describe any full-sized passenger carrying van. Minibuses have a...
Freight vehicles
LorriesLarge Goods Vehicle
A large goods vehicle , is the European Union term for any truck with a gross combination mass of over...
are carried on semi-open wagons, with a separate passenger carriage at the front of the train for the drivers. This arrangement is a form of rolling highway
Rolling Highway
A rolling highway is a combined transport system to transport trucks by rail....
, but operates over a much shorter distance than most rolling highways.
Safety
Safety regulations require two locomotives for all passenger trains through the tunnel (Shuttle and EurostarEurostar
Eurostar is a high-speed railway service connecting London with Paris and Brussels. All its trains traverse the Channel Tunnel between England and France, owned and operated separately by Eurotunnel....
), one at the front and one at the back, and both must be manned so that the train can be reversed out in case of a blockage. There are also attendants. In the case of the freight vehicle shuttles, the attendants ride in the passenger carriage at the front of the train with the lorry drivers; in the passenger vehicle shuttles, they patrol the train.
Passenger vehicle carriages are sealed off with fireproof doors and are pressurised. These doors are closed once all vehicles are loaded. They include smaller pedestrian doors that may be opened when the train is in motion to move from one carriage to the next but then close automatically.
Eurotunnel has been criticised for failing to implement measures to prevent or extinguish fires in the open framed large goods vehicle carrying wagons; recommendations made by the Fire Brigade Union in 1996 following a fire in the Channel Tunnel, that closed wagons should be used to prevent the spread of fire, were not acted upon.
See also
- Car shuttle trainCar shuttle trainA car shuttle train, or car-carrying train , is a train used to transport accompanied cars, or automobiles, and usually also other types of road vehicles, for a relatively short distance.Car shuttle trains usually operate on lines passing through a rail tunnel and connecting two...
- Eurotunnel Class 9Eurotunnel Class 9The Eurotunnel Class 9 or Class 9000 are a series of 6 axle high power Bo'Bo'Bo' single ended electric locomotives built by the Euroshuttle Locomotive Consortium of Brush Traction and ASEA Brown Boveri...
- Rolling highwayRolling HighwayA rolling highway is a combined transport system to transport trucks by rail....