Chunnel choice
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Tread with interest your 1 article about the Channel tunnel fire (CM 12-18 Dec). I feel compelled to write to you as, yet again, the media have gone on a hysterical witch hunt.
The fact is that a fire broke out on one of the lattice-work style carriages and by sheer luck no fatalities occurred. There is no getting away from the fact that emergency procedures were sadly lacking and that Eurotunnel got away with this by the skin of their teeth.
However, the pointing of fingers at the whole tunnel ethic that seems to be happening fails to acknowledge that wherever people travel, no matter where or how, accidents occur. Cars, buses, trains, planes, trucks and, yes, chunnel trains will crash, break down or catch on fire. It is inevitable!
am not condoning the fire or the way the emergency was dealt with, but it seems to me that if anything untoward happens on the chunnel then its out with the shotgun and lets blast this project out of the skies.
We hear of dodgy aircraft parts, railway signalling that doesn't work and drivers falling asleep at the wheel, but no mass hysteria follows.
Let's be proud of the tunnel and let's use it!
Simon Hildrey, Maidstone.