Tunnel vision

摘要

On the one hand, last month's fire in the Channel Tunnel ended well in that everyone on the freight shuttle got out alive and without serious injuries. A well rehearsed evacuation plan swung into action, followed by an equally well rehearsed firefighting operation mounted by fire and rescue services from both sides of the Channel. While we must wait patiently for the outcomes of the police and safety authorities' investigations into the cause of the fire, many will be asking themselves these questions. Are the fire safety measures for the tunnel good enough considering the type of traffic that uses it? And will the operators and users of the tunnel be able and willing to put up with the costs, damage, disruption and impact to their reputations that such fires produce? In the meantime, you could do no worse than find out about the current fire safety measures and procedures in place in the tunnel by turning to our special report on the fire on page 13.