Editing Channel Tunnel (section)

== Mechanical incidents ==

=== Fires ===
{{Main|1996 Channel Tunnel fire|2008 Channel Tunnel fire}}

There have been three fires in the tunnel, all on the heavy goods vehicle (HGV) shuttles, that were significant enough to close the tunnel, as well as other minor incidents.

On 9 December 1994, during an "invitation only" testing phase, a fire broke out in a [[Ford Escort (Europe)|Ford Escort]] car while its owner was loading it onto the upper deck of a tourist shuttle. The fire started at about 10:00, with the shuttle train stationary in the Folkestone terminal, and was put out about 40 minutes later with no passenger injuries.<ref>{{cite news | url = https://www.independent.co.uk/news/fire-raises-channel-tunnel-fears-1389084.html | title = Fire raises Channel Tunnel fears | first = Christian | last = Wolmar | date = 10 December 1994 | access-date =25 December 2009|work=The Independent | location=London}}</ref>

On 18 November 1996, a fire broke out on an HGV shuttle wagon in the tunnel, but nobody was hurt seriously. The exact cause is unknown,<ref>{{cite news | url = http://www.railwaysarchive.co.uk/documents/CTSA_ChanTun1996.pdf| publisher=Channel Tunnel Safety Authority | title = Inquiry into the fire on Heavy Goods Vehicle Shuttle 7539 on 18&nbsp;November 1996 |date = May 1997| isbn = 0-11-551931-9 | access-date=21 July 2009 }}</ref> although it was neither a Eurotunnel equipment nor rolling stock problem; it may have been due to arson of a heavy goods vehicle. It is estimated that the heart of the fire reached {{convert|1000|°C|°F|sigfig=2}}, with the tunnel severely damaged over {{cvt|46|m|ft|0|}}, with some {{cvt|500|m|ft|0|}} affected to some extent. Full operation recommenced six months after the fire.<ref name="Kirkland fire">{{cite journal|first=C. J.|last=Kirkland |year=2002 |title=The fire in the Channel Tunnel |journal=Tunnelling and Underground Space Technology |volume=17 |pages=129–132 |url=http://www.ita-aites.org/cms/fileadmin/filemounts/ovion/doc/safety/sydney/OS12.PDF |doi=10.1016/S0886-7798(02)00014-7 |issue=2 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100920093906/http://www.ita-aites.org/cms/fileadmin/filemounts/ovion/doc/safety/sydney/OS12.PDF |archive-date=20 September 2010 }}</ref>

On 21 August 2006, the tunnel was closed for several hours when a truck on an HGV shuttle train caught fire.<ref name="BBC fire">{{cite news
| url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/5271784.stm | title = Lorry fire closes Channel Tunnel |work=BBC News   | date = 21 August 2006 | access-date =21 August 2006 }}</ref><ref>{{cite report|url=http://www.raib.gov.uk/cms_resources/071023_R372007_Channel_Tunnel.pdf |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221010/http://www.raib.gov.uk/cms_resources/071023_R372007_Channel_Tunnel.pdf |archive-date=10 October 2022 |url-status=live|title=Fire on HGV shuttle in the Channel Tunnel 21&nbsp;August 2006|series=Rail Accident Report|author=Rail Accident Investigation Branch|publisher=Department for Transport|date=October 2007}}</ref>

On 11 September 2008, a fire occurred in the Channel Tunnel at 13:57 GMT. The incident started on an HGV shuttle train travelling towards France.<ref name=ft1>{{cite news | url = http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/ad05c7e6-8062-11dd-99a9-000077b07658.html | title = Channel tunnel fire causes further cancellations | last = Robert Wright | date = 12 September 2008 | work = Financial Times | access-date = 21 July 2009 | archive-date = 2 March 2010 | archive-url = http://wayback.vefsafn.is/wayback/20100302095554/http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/ad05c7e6-8062-11dd-99a9-000077b07658.html | url-status = dead }}</ref> The event occurred {{convert|11|km|mi|abbr=in}} from the French entrance to the tunnel. No one was killed but several people were taken to hospitals suffering from smoke inhalation, and minor cuts and bruises. The tunnel was closed to all traffic, with the undamaged South Tunnel reopening for limited services two days later.<ref>{{cite news | url = http://news.sky.com/skynews/Home/UK-News/Channel-Tunnel-Closed-Due-To-A-Fire/Article/200809215097705?lpos=UK%2BNews_0&lid=ARTICLE_15097705_Channel%2BTunnel%2BClosed%2BDue%2BTo%2BA%2BFire | title = Channel Tunnel Fire Evacuation | publisher=[[Sky News]] | date = 11 September 2008 | access-date =9 March 2009 }}</ref> Full service resumed on 9 February 2009<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.eurotunnel.com/ukcP3Main/ukcCorporate/ukcMediaCentre/ukcNewsReleases/ukcNews2009/ukcFebruary2009/ukpPr0902Eurotunnel-back-to-full-capacity.htm | title = Eurotunnel fully open to traffic | publisher=Eurotunnel.com | access-date =14 January 2010 }}</ref> after repairs costing €60&nbsp;million.

On 29 November 2012, the tunnel was closed for several hours after a truck on an HGV shuttle caught fire.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.itv.com/news/meridian/story/2012-11-29/fire-in-channel-tunnel/ | title=Fire in the Channel Tunnel | publisher=ITV | date=29 November 2012 | access-date=12 April 2013}}</ref>

On 17 January 2015, both tunnels were closed after a lorry fire that filled the midsection of Running Tunnel North with smoke. Eurostar cancelled all services.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-30863024 | title=Channel Tunnel closed and services hit after lorry fire | publisher=BBC | date=17 January 2015 | access-date=17 January 2015}}</ref> The shuttle train had been heading from Folkestone to Coquelles and stopped adjacent to cross-passage CP 4418 just before 12:30 UTC. 38 passengers and four members of Eurotunnel staff were evacuated into the service tunnel and transported to France in special STTS road vehicles. They were taken to the Eurotunnel Fire/Emergency Management Centre close to the French portal.<ref name="raib-2015-01-28">{{cite web|url=https://www.gov.uk/government/news/fire-on-board-a-freight-shuttle-in-the-channel-tunnel|title=Fire on board a freight shuttle in the Channel Tunnel|publisher=Government of the United Kingdom|author=RAIB|format=press release|date=28 January 2015|access-date=28 January 2015|quote=shuttle 7340 made a controlled stop in the tunnel at cross-passage 4418}}</ref>

=== Train failures ===
On the night of 19/20 February 1996, about 1,000 passengers became trapped in the Channel Tunnel when [[Eurostar]] [[British Rail Class 373|trains]] from London broke down owing to failures of electronic circuits caused by snow and ice being deposited and then melting on the circuit boards.<ref name="1996-snow">{{cite news | url = https://www.independent.co.uk/news/wrong-kind-of-snow-in-tunnel-1320248.html | title = Wrong kind of snow in tunnel... | last = Wolmar | first = Christian | date = 22 February 1996 | work = The Independent | location = UK | access-date = 21 December 2009 | archive-date = 19 January 2012 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120119013846/http://www.independent.co.uk/news/wrong-kind-of-snow-in-tunnel-1320248.html | url-status = dead }}</ref>

On 3 August 2007, an electrical failure lasting six hours caused passengers to be trapped in the tunnel on a shuttle.<ref>{{cite news | url = http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/kent/6929713.stm | title = Delays after Channel Tunnel fault |work=BBC News   | date = 3 August 2007 | access-date =14 January 2010 }}</ref>

On the evening of 18 December 2009, during the [[December 2009 European snowfall]], five London-bound [[Eurostar]] trains failed inside the tunnel, trapping 2,000 passengers for approximately 16 hours, during the coldest temperatures in eight years.<ref name="sky-colder">{{cite news | url = http://news.sky.com/skynews/Home/UK-News/Eurostar-Says-All-Scheduled-Services-Tomorrow-Have-Been-Cancelled/Article/200912315504284 | title = Severe Weather Brings Eurostar to a Halt | date = 19 December 2009 | access-date =19 December 2009|publisher=Sky News }}</ref> A Eurotunnel spokesperson explained that snow had evaded the train's winterisation shields,<ref>{{cite news|url=http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/industry_sectors/transport/article6963830.ece|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110612232005/http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/industry_sectors/transport/article6963830.ece|url-status=dead|archive-date=12 June 2011|title=Eurostar blames 'fluffy' snow for weekend chaos|date=21 December 2009 |work=The Times|access-date=21 December 2009 | location=London | first1=Steve | last1=Bird | first2=Robert | last2=Lindsay}}</ref> and the transition from cold air outside to the tunnel's warm atmosphere had melted the snow, resulting in electrical failures.<ref name="cnn-cold">{{cite news | url = http://www.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/europe/12/19/channel.tunnel/ | title = Eurostar services cancelled as snow brings havoc | first = Melissa | last = Gray|publisher=CNN| date = 19 December 2009 | access-date =19 December 2009 }}</ref><ref name="indy-cold">{{cite news | url = https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/thousands-stranded-in-eurostar-chaos-1845914.html | title = Thousands stranded in Eurostar chaos |work=The Independent |first1=David |last1=Randall |first2=Nina |last2=Lakhani | date = 20 December 2009 | access-date =20 December 2009 | location=London}}</ref><ref name="bbc-relive">{{cite news | url = http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/8422305.stm | title = Passengers trapped on Eurostar trains relive ordeal|work=BBC News | date = 20 December 2009 | access-date =20 December 2009 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news | url = http://news.sky.com/skynews/Home/UK-News/Eurostar-Trains-Trapped-In-Channel-Tunnel-As-Snow-And-Ice-Brings-Services-To-A-Halt/Article/200912315504284 | title = 'Nightmare' Over For Stranded Passengers | date = 18 December 2009 | access-date =19 December 2009 | first = Rob | last = Cole|publisher=Sky News }}</ref> One train was turned back before reaching the tunnel; two trains were hauled out of the tunnel by [[Eurotunnel Class 0001]] diesel locomotives. The blocking of the tunnel led to the implementation of [[Operation Stack]], the transformation of the [[M20 motorway]] into a linear car park.<ref>{{cite news | url = https://www.google.com/hostednews/ukpress/article/ALeqM5hRM5rF7ThMd2awfWzOXBFJ7AmuXg | publisher = The Press Association | date = 19 December 2009 | title = Passengers home after trapped in Channel Tunnel | access-date = 19 December 2009 | url-status = dead | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20091222231117/http://www.google.com/hostednews/ukpress/article/ALeqM5hRM5rF7ThMd2awfWzOXBFJ7AmuXg | archive-date = 22 December 2009 }}</ref>

The occasion was the first time that a Eurostar train was evacuated inside the tunnel; the failing of four at once was described as "unprecedented".<ref name="amsterdam-cold">{{cite news | url = http://www.amsterdamnews.net/story/579422 | title = Chaos in Eurotunnel as several trains break down | work = Amsterdam News.Net | date = 19 December 2009 | access-date = 19 December 2009 | quote = "Four Eurostars broken down at one time&nbsp;– it's absolutely unprecedented", John Keefe of Eurotunnel ... "There's never actually been an evacuation of a Eurostar train in the fifteen years that the tunnel has been opened and last night we evacuated two whole trains to get people off", | url-status = dead | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110723013209/http://www.amsterdamnews.net/story/579422 | archive-date = 23 July 2011 }}</ref> The Channel Tunnel reopened the following morning.<ref>{{cite news | url = http://www.eurotunnel.com/NR/rdonlyres/E69E8275-E4E9-4B65-AC6A-D5A8E9931DD7/0/091219Eurotunnel_rescues_Eurostar.pdf | title = Eurotunnel rescues Eurostar | work = Eurotunnel Press Release | date = 19 December 2009 | access-date = 23 December 2009 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20100113051244/http://eurotunnel.com/NR/rdonlyres/E69E8275-E4E9-4B65-AC6A-D5A8E9931DD7/0/091219Eurotunnel_rescues_Eurostar.pdf | archive-date = 13 January 2010 | url-status = dead }}</ref> [[Nirj Deva]], [[Member of the European Parliament]] for South East England, had called for Eurostar chief executive Richard Brown to resign over the incidents.<ref>{{cite news | url = http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/8422978.stm | title = Eurostar transports 500 vulnerable passengers to France |work=BBC News   | date = 20 December 2009 | access-date =14 January 2010 }}</ref> An independent report by [[Christopher Garnett]] (former CEO of [[Great North Eastern Railway]]) and Claude Gressier (a French transport expert) on the 18/19 December 2009 incidents was issued in February 2010, making 21 recommendations.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/travel/news-and-advice/eurostar-rapped-in-tunnel-breakdowns-report-1897410.html |title=Eurostar rapped over Channel Tunnel breakdown |work=The Independent |location=UK |date=12 February 2010 |access-date=27 April 2010 | first=Peter | last=Woodman}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.eurostarindependentreview.org/pdf/Eurostar%20Independent%20Review.pdf|title=Eurostar Independent Review|date=12 February 2010|format=PDF report|first1=Christopher|last1=Garnett|first2=M. Claude|last2=Gressier|access-date=27 January 2010|publisher=Eurostar|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100216140918/http://www.eurostarindependentreview.org/pdf/Eurostar%20Independent%20Review.pdf|archive-date=16 February 2010|url-status=dead}}</ref>

On 7 January 2010, a Brussels–London Eurostar broke down in the tunnel. The train had 236 passengers on board and was towed to Ashford; other trains that had not yet reached the tunnel were turned back.<ref>{{cite news | url = https://www.independent.co.uk/travel/news-and-advice/eurostar-disrupted-after-new-breakdown-in-channel-tunnel-1861132.html | title = Eurostar disrupted after new breakdown in Channel tunnel | work = The Independent | date = 7 January 2009 | access-date = 7 January 2009 | location = London | archive-date = 11 January 2010 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20100111050653/http://www.independent.co.uk/travel/news-and-advice/eurostar-disrupted-after-new-breakdown-in-channel-tunnel-1861132.html | url-status = dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite news | url = http://uk.reuters.com/article/idUKTRE6061L020100107 | archive-url = https://archive.today/20120717231458/http://uk.reuters.com/article/idUKTRE6061L020100107 | url-status = dead | archive-date = 17 July 2012 | title = Stricken Eurostar train towed out of Channel Tunnel | work=Reuters| date = 7 January 2010 | access-date =14 January 2010 }}</ref>

=== Safety ===
The [[Channel Tunnel Safety Authority]] is responsible for some aspects of safety regulation in the tunnel; it reports to the [[Intergovernmental Commission]] (IGC).<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.channeltunneligc.co.uk/The-CTSA.html?lang=en |title=The Channel Tunnel Safety Authority |work=Channel Tunnel Intergovernmental Commission |year=2013 |access-date=11 June 2013 |archive-date=22 April 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210422081422/https://www.channeltunneligc.co.uk/The-CTSA.html?lang=en |url-status=dead }}</ref>
{{Routemap
|title = Channel Tunnel safety
|collapsible = yes
|legend = no
|map =
CONTg\\~~'''North running tunnel'''
STRg\uCONTg\~~Service tunnel
STRg\uSTR\CONTg~~'''South running tunnel'''
STRg\uSTR\STRf
uXBHF-L\uXBHF-M\uXBHF-R~~Emergency door every {{cvt|375|m|ft}}
CONTf\uCONTf\CONTf
}}
The service tunnel is used for access to technical equipment in cross-passages and equipment rooms, to provide fresh-air ventilation and for emergency evacuation. The Service Tunnel Transport System (STTS) allows fast access to all areas of the tunnel. The service vehicles are rubber-tired with a buried wire guidance system. 

The 24 STTS vehicles are used mainly for maintenance but also for firefighting and emergencies. "Pods" with different purposes, up to a payload of {{convert|2.5|–|5|tonne}}, are inserted into the side of the vehicles. The vehicles cannot turn around within the tunnel and are driven from either end. The maximum speed is {{convert|80|km/h|mi/h|0|abbr=on}} when the steering is locked. A fleet of 15 Light Service Tunnel Vehicles (LADOGS) was introduced to supplement the STTSs. The LADOGS has a short wheelbase with a {{convert|3.4|m|abbr=on|adj=on}} turning circle, allowing two-point turns within the service tunnel. Steering cannot be locked like the STTS vehicles, and maximum speed is {{convert|50|km/h|mi/h|0|abbr=on}}. Pods up to {{convert|1|tonne}} can be loaded onto the rear of the vehicles. Drivers in the tunnel sit on the right, and the vehicles drive on the left. Owing to the risk of French personnel driving on their native right side of the road, sensors in the vehicles alert the driver if the vehicle strays to the right side.<ref name="Kirkland pp.247–254">Kirkland pp. 247–254</ref>

The three tunnels contain {{convert|6000|tonne}} of air that needs to be conditioned for comfort and safety. Air is supplied from [[ventilation (architecture)|ventilation]] buildings at Shakespeare Cliff and Sangatte, with each building capable of providing 100% standby capacity. Supplementary ventilation also exists on either side of the tunnel. In the event of a fire, ventilation is used to keep smoke out of the service tunnel and move smoke in one direction in the main tunnel to give passengers clean air. The tunnel was the first main-line railway tunnel to have special cooling equipment. Heat is generated from traction equipment and drag. The design limit was set at {{convert|30|C|F|sigfig=2}}, using a mechanical cooling system with refrigeration plants on both sides that run chilled water circulating in pipes within the tunnel.<ref name="Kirkland pp.212–230"/>

Trains travelling at high speed create [[piston effect]] pressure changes that can affect passenger comfort, ventilation systems, tunnel doors, fans and the structure of the trains, and which drag on the trains.<ref name="Kirkland pp.212–230">Kirkland pp. 212–230</ref> Piston relief [[Duct (HVAC)|ducts]] of {{cvt|2|m|ftin||adj=on}} diameter were chosen to solve the problem, with 4&nbsp;ducts per kilometre to give close to optimum results. However, this design led to extreme lateral forces on the trains, so a reduction in train speed was required and restrictors were installed in the ducts.<ref name="CT experience">The Channel Tunnel Experience Lessons for the Future pp. 19–23</ref>

The safety issue of a possible fire on a passenger-vehicle shuttle garnered much attention, with Eurotunnel noting that fire was the risk attracting the most attention in a 1994 safety case for three reasons: the opposition of ferry companies to passengers being allowed to remain with their cars; [[Home Office]] statistics indicating that car fires had doubled in ten years; and the long length of the tunnel. Eurotunnel commissioned the UK Fire Research Station—now part of the [[Building Research Establishment]]—to give reports of vehicle fires, and liaised with Kent Fire Brigade to gather vehicle fire statistics over one year. Fire tests took place at the French Mines Research Establishment with a mock wagon used to investigate how cars burned.<ref name="Kirkland pp.231–240">Kirkland pp. 231–240</ref> The wagon door systems are designed to withstand fire inside the wagon for 30&nbsp;minutes, longer than the transit time of 27&nbsp;minutes. Wagon air conditioning units help to purge dangerous fumes from inside the wagon before travel. Each wagon has a fire detection and extinguishing system, with sensing of ions or [[ultraviolet radiation]], smoke and gases that can trigger [[Haloalkane|halon]] gas to quench a fire. 

Since the HGV wagons are not covered, fire sensors are located on the loading wagon and in the tunnel. A {{convert|10|in|adj=on}} water main in the service tunnel provides water to the main tunnels at {{cvt|125|m|ft|0|adj=on}} intervals.<ref>{{cite news | url = http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7612776.stm | title = Focus turns to cause of tunnel blaze |work=BBC News   | access-date =12 September 2008 | date = 12 September 2008 | first=Andrew | last=McFarlane}}</ref> The ventilation system can control smoke movement. Special arrival sidings accept a train that is on fire, as the train is not allowed to stop whilst on fire in the tunnel unless continuing its journey would lead to a worse outcome. Two STTS (Service Tunnel Transportation System)<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.eurotunnelgroup.com/uk/the-channel-tunnel/glossary/#s | title = Glossary | access-date = 24 August 2012 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120815011501/http://www.eurotunnelgroup.com/uk/the-channel-tunnel/glossary/#s | archive-date = 15 August 2012 | url-status = dead }}</ref> vehicles with firefighting pods are on duty at all times, with a maximum delay of 10&nbsp;minutes before they reach a burning train.<ref name="Kirkland fire"/>
Eurotunnel has banned a wide range of hazardous goods from travelling in the tunnel.