Power facilities in the Channel Tunnel

Forming a veritable underground factory, the Channel Tunnel's equipment (rail and auxiliary) must be powered by a reliable, redundant network, and be maintained to the highest standards. The safety of passengers, staff and property depends on it.

In just 15 years, the Channel Tunnel has become a natural way for two hundred and fifty million passengers to cross the English Channel by train or car, at 140 km/h at least, and from 19 to 24 minutes in the tunnel, in complete safety. To operate this system, a veritable underground factory had to be built and constantly upgraded, originally powered by two electrical stations on each side, each with a total installed power of no less than 400 MVA, requiring almost 5,000 km of cable, connecting some 250 underground or underwater electrical rooms.

Our aim is therefore to describe the design criteria for electrical power distribution systems, the installations and the organization of operations that contributed to the success of this major project, and the follow-up work carried out during its operation right up to the present day. Safety was a constant concern during both the design and implementation phases. Safety, always in the minds of operators after the builders, remains paramount to ensure the 24-hour power supply to the electrical installations vital to passenger safety, and to the equipment of the system as a whole.

Readers are invited to consult the following files:

• Electric railway traction. Railway dynamics and substations [D 5 501] ;

• Electric rail traction. Converters and motors [D 5 502] ;

• Revue générale des chemins de fer – Special issues of 12/1993 and 02/1994 ;

• Revue générale d'électricité et d'électronique (REE) 07/1995.