Plug for Chunnel train
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• Specifications for the Eurotunnel freight trains, which will carry trucks through the Channel Tunnel, now include power points to power reefer units during the journey. John Chapman, freight marketing development manager of Eurotunnel, says the specification has been changed to alleviate the fears of the reefer operators pressure group Transfrigoroute that temperatures in the trains will damage loads. Chapman, who formerly worked for Christian Savesen and is himself an associate member of Transfrigoroute, says reefer operators will be important customers for Eurotunnel, so it is important to get the design right from the start. The specifications for the train are now almost complete, and tenders will be circulated soon. One major change from the mock-ups seen at Ashford two years ago is that the carriage walls are now thinner to give truck drivers more room to enter and leave their cabs.
Chunnel trains are likely to consist of a flat wagon at 12wagon intervals to speed loading and unloading. Chapman says the design should enable truckers to pass through the system from British motorway, to French motorway, within one hour and 15 minutes.
Drivers will be accommodated in air-conditioned lounges during the journey, but the positioning and number of lounges on a train will be determined by the companies tendering for the design contract.