DB gains Channel Tunnel approval -but new trains are three vears away

摘要

German national rail operator Deutsche Bahn has been granted an operating certificate to run passenger services through the Channel Tunnel, writes Keith Fender. The Part B certificate, issued by the joint British/French Intergovernmental Commission responsible for licensing operators, is granted only to operators who already have a proven safety management system (Part A). Three years of study and trial operation to prove the effectiveness of DB's planned operation has been undertaken to gain the approval; this is the first granted to a new operator (apart from Eurostar and Eurotunnel itself) since the Tunnel opened in 1994.