How many more trains can the Eurotunnel take?

[Hifly130]

With it looking like air travel is reducing and a lot of holiday makers wanting to switch to using the Eurostar to get to mainland Europe does any know if there’s much spare capacity left on the Eurostar?

In July 2021 and if there’s a massive demand will it cope and are prices likely to increase?

[Simpo Two]

If the issue is social distancing, is a train much different from an aeroplane?

Or is the difference that trains can operate on lower occupancy than aeroplanes?

And anyway, rabid EU-fans will tell you it will be impossible to travel to Europe after next January!

[gazapc]

Simpo Two said:

If the issue is social distancing, is a train much different from an aeroplane?

If the OP means Eurostar then valid point. If he means eurotunnel then the answer is easy, everyone stays in their cars for the short journey.

[Hifly130]

I certainly agree a packed Eurostar is no different to a packed out aircraft cabin. I did start an earlier thread asking if anyone knew if air was replenished and as clean as much as it is in an aircraft cabin ( air replenished every 3 mins and HEPA filtration same as used in operating theatres). Unfortunately I did not get an answer to compare.

The reason I asked the original question is because a lot of holiday makers going to campsites in France and Italy instead of flying want to go by Eurotunnel/Eurostar. I’m taking it that social distancing isn’t in force by next summer (hopefully) and just wondering if it would have the extra capacity?

[rs1952]

Hifly130 said:

I certainly agree a packed Eurostar is no different to a packed out aircraft cabin. I did start an earlier thread asking if anyone knew if air was replenished and as clean as much as it is in an aircraft cabin ( air replenished every 3 mins and HEPA filtration same as used in operating theatres). Unfortunately I did not get an answer to compare.

The major difference between trains and planes as far as air cinditioning is concerned is that there is plenty of breathable stuff outside of a train. That of course is not the case with air travel. Therefore any comparisoms with air quality between the two is comparing chalk and cheese.

I am not sure that I agree with you about the cleanliness of air in an aircraft. Yes of course it goes through filtration systems, but one of the ironies about the smoking bans on aircriaft that were introduced in the 1990s is that it allowed airlines a lot more scope to reduce the need for filtration. Some might argue that the air in a plane is dirtier now than it was when it was trying to clear up the blue fog at the back of the cabin

[Dogwatch]

I don't know the figures but I believe the tunnel is nowhere near the traffic flows anticipated when it opened. The ferries thought they were finished - and logically they should have been - but in reality the two complement each other and the ferries are still going. For now.

[Shakermaker]

It depends how far apart the trains have to be when travelling at (up to) 100mph. at the moment they're running Eurostar, Eurotunnel and Freight services and mostly, they go in rotation, and that must work for them in terms of loading and space at the terminals etc. obviously it takes less time to load a Eurostar train of passengers than it does to fill up all the cars on the car train etc, hence why they've got so many loading platforms in Folkestone for cars/lorries etc to queue up and are probably loading more than one train at a time.

But how far apart they have to be will still be limited by the signalling I guess

[MarkwG]

rs1952 said:

Some might argue that the air in a plane is dirtier now than it was when it was trying to clear up the blue fog at the back of the cabin

Some might, but they'd be wrong - https://www.iata.org/contentassets/f1163430bba9451... - having flown many thousands of miles stuck at the smoking end, I can reassure you, the air quality now is significantly better than back then, where ever you are on the aircraft.

[Hifly130]

Thanks for that useful IATA link.

Only stuff I’ve found online about air quality on trains was a study from the Netherlands saying on diesel trains cabin air is like standing at the side of a motorway but as I understand pure diesel only makes up 25% of the UK stock. Another study said train platforms were atrocious for air quality but again can’t find anything on modern cabins in trains.

I started in aviation just over a decade ago well after smoking was banned. I do recall a few engineers claiming the smoking days made their jobs a little trickier regarding outflow valves etc. I certainly wouldn’t say I got more or less colds since I started flying in pressurised cabins if that’s a marker of air quality.

I’m just surprised that in light of the Green movement’s and this recent covid crisis we don’t hear more talk of more capacity being added to the euro tunnel unless, that is it’s under utilised.

[greygoose]

Dogwatch said:

I don't know the figures but I believe the tunnel is nowhere near the traffic flows anticipated when it opened. The ferries thought they were finished - and logically they should have been - but in reality the two complement each other and the ferries are still going. For now.

That isn’t quite true, when the tunnel was opened there were only a few platforms built though the overbridges were far wider then needed so platforms could be added later. Freight capacity was only for two lanes of trucks into the site but that has been expanded to four lanes in now, and further platforms were added to load more freight trains at once.
In reality there has been a rise in freight traffic over the last 25 years so both the ferries and the tunnel have more to fight over, ET has about 40% of the freight traffic and 55% of the tourist traffic across the channel.