Business

Eurostar trains were unprepared for winter season
by Zuzana Zelenakova

The results of the independent committee investigation concerning December Eurostar trains breakdown were released Friday. According to the report Eurostar failed to prepare its trains for winter season, more specifically it failed to protect sensitive components of the high speed trains from snow and moisture, which eventually caused the malfunction. Also Eurostar´s subsequent reaction in an emergency case was criticized as not being sufficiently coordinated and prompt. The series of breakdowns began on December 18 and resulted in more than 2,000 passengers being trapped for about 16 hours on five trains headed for London. They were left in the dark with no air-condi! tioning in the overheated tunnel. "We were without power. We ran out of water, we ran out of food and there was very, very poor communication from the staff," said one of the passengers evacuated from the trains. "We lost air conditioning when we lost the power. We had to open the emergency doors ourselves. "The evacuation procedure we followed was one that we set down ourselves." Aside from trapped travelers, holiday plans of another about 90,000 people were affected in a most unpleasant way. The report recommended several improvements to Eurostar, mainly mechanical ones such as systems for protection of sensitive electronic components and air intake from snow. Also additional save locomotives coming from both side of the tunnel were strongly recommended so that possible evacuation efforts in the future would be significantly prompted. Social services improvements were mentioned too. “I know we let our passengers destitute before Christmas and I am determined to fath! er things right,” Richard Brown, Eurostar’s chief ! executiv e, said in a bill. “Our focus now is on in reality implementing the recommendations from the review as well considering those additional measures that we have identified ourselves to rectify our service.”

related story (sgx16469): http://www.france24.com/en/20100212-transport-eurostar-probe...

by Zuzana Zelenakova for SigEx Ventures (http://sigexventures.com)

SigEx Ventures's matrix of properties are quickly becoming leaders in digital telebroadcasting, free content delivery allowing people to easily talk, view, upload and share through free online TV broadcasting, free unlim! ited global calls, video blogs and SMS. SigEx Ventures invests in projects deploying "free" to add-on royalty revenue models

posted by Blog TechSource @ 11:44 AM