LONDON -- Three Eurostar passenger trains were stuck in the rail tunnel between Britain and continental Europe, a spokesman for the operator said Saturday.The trains broke down due to the cold weather snap affecting the region. The difference in temperature between the chilly open air and the warm tunnel under the English Channel caused the trains to break down. "At the moment we have three trains stuck in the tunnel and we are trying to get them out with a rescue locomotive." .... The high-speed passenger trains stuck in the tunnel were fairly full, he added. "It's really technical problems due to the bad weather and the snow. The difference in temperature is quite significant," the spokesman explained. "It's very cold outside and it's very warm in the tunnel so there's a big difference in temperature and that makes it difficult."
LONDON -- Three Eurostar passenger trains were stuck in the rail tunnel between Britain and continental Europe, a spokesman for the operator said Saturday.
The trains broke down due to the cold weather snap affecting the region. The difference in temperature between the chilly open air and the warm tunnel under the English Channel caused the trains to break down.
"At the moment we have three trains stuck in the tunnel and we are trying to get them out with a rescue locomotive."
....
The high-speed passenger trains stuck in the tunnel were fairly full, he added.
"It's really technical problems due to the bad weather and the snow. The difference in temperature is quite significant," the spokesman explained.
"It's very cold outside and it's very warm in the tunnel so there's a big difference in temperature and that makes it difficult."
Granted, this is really cold weather for December but that level of cold is not unprecedented.
Investigation is ongoing, we're being told. Europeans think a hundred miles is a long way. Americans think a hundred years is a long time.
Following the disruption to its services over the last 24 hours, Eurostar does not want to cause its passengers any further disruption and will be conducting a programme of `test-trains' tomorrow to better understand the problems that have been occurring.
I note such tunnel entrance temperature changes happen regularly elsewhere... even at high speed. *Lunatic*, n. One whose delusions are out of fashion.
Also posted in this morning's Salon. La Chine dorme. Laisse la dormir. Quand la Chine s'éveillera, le monde tremblera.
"Snow enters the ventilation system and short-circuits the electrical traction motors for locomotives Eurostar disjonctent in a tunnel where there is high heat. The engines stop and fail to restart" .
Hm. Maybe they mean that suddenly a greater amount of (melt)water gets down to the traction motors once the snow on the cooler filters melts. Now, Eurostars have the big old-style side coolers, lots more surface for snow to stick on than the ICE1 trains crossing the Landrückentunnel every winter since 1991/2 at 250 km/h; still, something more special must have occured if Eurostar first saw such a problem only this February. However, the big refurbishment of the Eurostar fleet is only coming, so I have no obvious guess. *Lunatic*, n. One whose delusions are out of fashion.
