The fire in the Channel Tunnel

Abstract

The Channel Tunnel, which connects the United Kingdom with France, was designed and built between 1986 and 1993 with consideration of fire and life safety at the top of the agenda. Its design was constantly monitored by a bi-National Safety Authority appointed by an Inter Governmental Commission of the Governments of France and the UK. In November 1996 a shuttle train carrying heavy goods vehicles suffered a serious fire, which severely damaged the tunnel, though nobody was seriously hurt in the incident. This paper discusses the design for fire management, the fire itself, and lessons learned from the incident. © 2002 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.