The "broken link" between the last weekend in London and Paris was the occasion of "domestic scenes" unexpected between the couple as inseparable form Eurostar and Eurotunnel, the first rejecting outright the second fault the big mess that lasted for 3 days!
is an opportunity for us to reconsider the importance of the Fixed Link in trade between Britain and mainland Europe and to reconsider the events as reported by the press and shelled by one of our correspondents. Here, with her permission, her analysis of the situation in a message addressed to the Chairman of Eurotunnel:
" The vagaries of STAR are still a lot about them, even if it's a train!
That emotion aroused by blocking the Eurostar! Proof if needed that is unthinkable without it! It is at least one positive point.
The communication campaign against the station by perplexed:
- 5 Eurostar blocked in the tunnel (only the last of the schedule, bizarre, yet it has snowed all day!)
- Decision to stop all traffic ... "because the tunnel is closed"
- For one day we see in the TV technicians to toy with Eurostar to identify gaps
problems - Statement of "super Sarko" on Monday that requires the resumption of traffic and presto, the problems are resolved Tuesday morning, bizarre given their knowledge of such incidents in the cold (*) which are not First and weather warnings well in advance, if the technical problems were so easy to solve, one may wonder why the technicians responsible and Eurostar did not anticipate? The remedies are really identified or is it all a farce? Because it actually does more snow since the resumption of traffic ....
(*) Even one of the experts appointed unilaterally by SNCF acknowledges This is not the first time that Eurostar trains are subjected to a thermal shock between the tunnel and out. "It happened to me, besides having fun Claude Gressier , one of two investigators designated, but it was exiting the tunnel on the British side and our train was able to restart after two hours. "
- The best defense is attack ... disposal problems in the tunnel is not us, we have no contact with trains in the tunnel! dixit "small" Deputy DG Eurostar
- First of all, the weather did not announce the quality of the snow that was engulfed in mechanics! too dry, too dusty ... are comic finally!
- We still flatly apologize to our customers, but we do everything necessary to repair and understand that this does not happen again (we're testing, we asked a commission of inquiry, we restore quickly and gradually the traffic, we propose improvements to customer information, etc.).
Who can believe that can also easily shirk its responsibilities and reject others? Incidents can be conceived and understood, the management of the crisis and the controversy cons are pretty lousy.
Furthermore, I feel no longer able to count either!
The communication campaign against the station by perplexed:
- 5 Eurostar blocked in the tunnel (only the last of the schedule, bizarre, yet it has snowed all day!)
- Decision to stop all traffic ... "because the tunnel is closed"
- For one day we see in the TV technicians to toy with Eurostar to identify gaps
problems - Statement of "super Sarko" on Monday that requires the resumption of traffic and presto, the problems are resolved Tuesday morning, bizarre given their knowledge of such incidents in the cold (*) which are not First and weather warnings well in advance, if the technical problems were so easy to solve, one may wonder why the technicians responsible and Eurostar did not anticipate? The remedies are really identified or is it all a farce? Because it actually does more snow since the resumption of traffic ....
(*) Even one of the experts appointed unilaterally by SNCF acknowledges This is not the first time that Eurostar trains are subjected to a thermal shock between the tunnel and out. "It happened to me, besides having fun Claude Gressier , one of two investigators designated, but it was exiting the tunnel on the British side and our train was able to restart after two hours. "
- The best defense is attack ... disposal problems in the tunnel is not us, we have no contact with trains in the tunnel! dixit "small" Deputy DG Eurostar
- First of all, the weather did not announce the quality of the snow that was engulfed in mechanics! too dry, too dusty ... are comic finally!
- We still flatly apologize to our customers, but we do everything necessary to repair and understand that this does not happen again (we're testing, we asked a commission of inquiry, we restore quickly and gradually the traffic, we propose improvements to customer information, etc.).
Who can believe that can also easily shirk its responsibilities and reject others? Incidents can be conceived and understood, the management of the crisis and the controversy cons are pretty lousy.
Furthermore, I feel no longer able to count either!
"Resuming with two out of three trains on Tuesday and Wednesday (12 roundtrip) - for the 24th, traffic near normal 12 round trip as well? But all the press includes only the title" traffic almost normal "before changing his tune again.
Yesterday Wednesday at St Pancras, Eurostar promised to 15,000 people waiting in a monster mess to evacuate in the day,
The number of seats (if one includes the folding) of about 800 people: therefore 800 x 12 = 15,000 for Eurostar (even if it is possible to add new cars, I do not know ...)
First low traffic and why so long? it snowing since Monday, and although it was snowing, no matter because the problems are solved with dexterity must admit ... in one day all the trains in circulation since Tuesday have been changed? I hope this is true, since the return of the snow is announced.
Good brief is not their fault, it's snow and Eurotunnel mainly although obvious they do not know, or count or communicate without mess or anticipate, or assume their responsibilities: inglorious attitude!
Everybody from its Salt and remaking the world in perfect ignorance of procedures and the reality of events, I propose that we permute England and Corsica: Eurostar no longer problem with winter! - Winter, cold, snow, what a discovery! Could it obscured the fact that nature often has the last word even if it challenges our little habits! At best should we not adapt our behavior and our equipment?
I noticed at 4:45 that same tunnel was completely evacuated, and that late afternoon Eurostar 9055 left Paris at 20 H (instead of 7:13 p.m.) the day before had still not arrived flights from the testimony of passengers! So?
... After the tunnel, according to the "small DG, contact with the train is restored and the management of Eurostar train back to good, or am I not included? Even if the first train was quickly released and towed to London Eurotunnel locomotives.
So between 21 H hour of the first alert failed and 4 h 45 7 h elapsed 45 (5 trains to evacuate!) I therefore conclude that passengers in the worst cases could not spend 17 H in the tunnel as can be read here and there!
A restoration of truth and a return to the serenity necessary, since Eurotunnel and Eurostar are forced to work - yet it seems that the climate between the two protagonists is the season ... But, there are still bounds not to exceed.
I hope
ICE are shielded against this kind of heat shock ... .. "
However, it is worth recalling in collaboration with Eurostar Eurotunnel carries 365 j/365 (not ... 364: Christmas truce required) millions of passengers in a very satisfactory and that the few incidents, even more serious, never harmed the health or life of users, which remains the essential point. Although the procedures foreseen in the concession contract to be particularly drastic, the unthinkable occurred: failure cascades, exceptional operating in 15 years! However, if this crisis can and should be an opportunity to change strategies to improve evacuation, information and passenger comfort, the fact remains that it could have been handled ... more elegant.
If we salute the skill Eurostar to repair equipment and get rid of "hot potato", that of the State, the states via the IGC to leap against " "unacceptable" that the blackout, it's a safe bet that the shareholders and particularly the "Historic" would have appreciated an attitude as angry and reactive policy-makers face the initial assembly of the record Eurotunnel and its consequences no less disastrous.
We take this new post to wish you all a good end Eve 2009 and a very good year in 2010.
The service response to shareholder criticism came from Eurostar in our mailboxes, we reproduce it here for those who are not subscribers to the newsletter:
INFORMATION NOTE ON EVENTS December 18, 2009
Our client knows Eurostar since 18 December last an unprecedented crisis that generated a strong media impact. His service was suspended several days before Christmas are only 37 trains on the usual fifty that have circulated (24 trains on December 23, five days after the failures).
Although obviously Eurotunnel is neither the cause of these failures, nor in charge of customer relations, Eurostar, and our teams were in operation with speed and professionalism, even beyond their normal task, we here or there have been unfairly suspected not to have responded appropriately.
Eurotunnel carries against these false accusations and no polemics, shareholders would like the service you provide the following factual information on relief provided by Eurotunnel on the night of December 18 to 19: Ø
five Eurostar trains are successively broken down because of snow and blocked two railway tunnels; Ø
to deal with this type of situation, Eurotunnel under the concession contract, repair of two units (one unit per tunnel); Ø
they are immediately taken place: (I) the first Eurostar crashed at 8:53 p.m. was easily towed to London by Eurostar as requested, (ii) the second Eurostar being crashed à 22h38, the second rescue unit was dispatched on site but is blocked by the third Eurostar fails at 23.10;
diameter is controlled to the other two involved in the Eurostar tunnel switch to the opposite tunnel but they also fall down at 0:51 ET 0:55; Ø
second rescue unit performs its mission and out of the tunnel, the Eurostar 9055 and 9059 which were taken to Folkestone, although
Ø ongoing relationship with our teams, it is obvious that crews Eurostar obviously did not pass on useful information to passengers. This led to a movement of concern in the 9057 Eurostar security by forcing us to decide his immediate removal from the service tunnel, especially since it was not towed, hull at the front of train and protect the coupling refusing to open;
Ø in case of emergency (unpublished) Eurotunnel sends its shuttles, of course, not the comfort of a passenger train, its mission essential being the rescue of people. The time of the evacuation were lying because unfortunately the crews of Eurostar, in total violation of the emergency procedures, have asked the passengers to take their luggage with them
Ø it was also decided to evacuate the last Eurostar down, despite a further complication due to its positioning at the intersection of two tunnels where the tunnel is operating above the tracks and not at their level; Ø
the evacuees were finally repatriated in Folkestone where they should be times over by Eurostar
Ø Kent Police then inexplicably committed endless audits. Moreover, the two Eurostar trains from London sent to retrieve the passengers arrived very late, without supplies, without crew, even though some of the staff of Eurostar evacuees were concerned about their own notes. This course has added some time, certainly beyond our control, but obviously intolerable, and therefore the source of protests;
Ø Eurotunnel staff, who manage our own clients on site blocked because of the unavailability tunnels (many thousands, our shuttle service could not be resumed until 5:30), decided spontaneously to take care of customers Eurostar and made every effort to overcome these serious deficiencies.
A total of Eurostar passengers are 9057 and 9053 out of the tunnel a little over five hours after their train broke down, which is very long, and we deeply regret, but a far cry from 15 to 17 hours cited by some commentators confusing passage in the tunnel and the overall journey time from station to station.
Access to the tunnel was closed for the last two Eurostar circulating. These are remained parked overnight at Fréthun instead of returning to Lille or Paris
It should be emphasized that all rescue operations were conducted from 0:40 by States (BINAT device). As for communication between the PC and Eurotunnel trains crisis, wrongly implicated by some, it was permanent: the proof is that if this had not been the case, relief operations very complex n 'could be performed safely;
Immediately after this crisis, Eurostar Eurotunnel has offered a number of concrete measures to improve the speed and comfort of evacuations including provision by Eurostar or shareholders of a third unit breakdown and a passenger train to carry out evacuations in better conditions than our shuttles. Meanwhile
Eurostar, to understand what had happened, commissioned two qualified individuals (wrongly called independent commission of inquiry because it is neither independent nor a commission of inquiry under the Concession as There really is no reason that the mission be limited to the Tunnel).
Together Eurotunnel and Eurostar have known for 15 years making himself indispensable to ensure reliable connections between the Continent and Britain. Eurotunnel will do everything in its power to enable Eurostar to overcome this crisis as quickly as possible. The Shareholder Services
25/12 / / 2009
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