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The Channel Tunnel Rail Link (CTRL) is a project to construct a 108 km (67 mile) high-speed rail line from London to the English end of the Channel Tunnel. When it is completed in 2007, it will be possible to travel from London St Pancras to Paris in 2 h 15 min and to Brussels in 2 h.

Background

A high-speed rail line has been in operation on the French section of the Eurostar rail link since the Channel Tunnel's opening in 1994, carrying trains at 300 km/h (186 mph). A similar high-speed line from the French border to Brussels opened in 1997. In Britain, long-distance trains have had to share existing track with local traffic, limiting average speeds and limiting the number of services that can be run. In addition, the general state of Britain's rail infrastructure has caused frequent and unpredictable delays, reducing the appeal of the Eurostar service.

London and Continental Railways (LCR) was selected by the UK government in 1996 to undertake construction of the line as well as to take over the British share of the Eurostar operation, Eurostar (UK). The original LCR consortium members were National Express Group, Virgin Group, SBC Warburg, Bechtel and London Electric. Whilst the project was under development by British Rail it was managed by Union Railways which became a wholly owned subsidiary of LCR.

Originally the whole route was to be constructed as a single project. However, in 1998 it ran into serious financial difficulties and with its future looking uncertain the project was split into two separate phases, to be managed by Union Railways (South) and Union Railways (North). A recovery programme was agreed whereby LCR sold government-backed bonds worth £1.6bn to pay for the construction of section 1, with the future of section 2 still looking in doubt. The original intention had been for the new railway, once completed, to be run by Union Railways as a separate line to the rest of the British railway network. However as part of the 1998 rescue plan it was agreed that following completion section 1 would be purchased by Railtrack, along with an option to purchase section 2. In return Railtrack were committed to operate the whole route as well as St Pancras railway station which, unlike all other former British Rail stations, was transferred to LCR/Union Railways in 1996.

In 2001 Railtrack announced that due to its own financial problems it would not undertake to purchase section 2 once it was completed. This triggered a second restructuring. The 2002 plan agreed that the two sections would have different infrastructure owners (Railtrack for section 1, LCR for section 2) but with common management by Railtrack. Following yet further financial problems at Railtrack its interest in the CTRL was sold back to LCR who then sold the operating rights for the completed line to Network Rail, Railtrack's successor. Under this arrangement LCR will become the sole owner of both sections of the CTRL and St Pancras, as per the original 1996 plan.

As a consequence of the project's restructuring the LCR consortium is, as of 2006, construction firms Arup, Bechtel, Halcrow and Systra (who form Rail Link Engineering (RLE)), transport operators National Express Group and SNCF (who operate the Eurostar (UK) share of the Eurostar service with SNCB and British Airways), electricity company EDF and the UBS Investment Bank. Once sections 1 and 2 of the line have been completed by RLE they were/will be handed over to Union Railways (South) & Union Railways (North) respectively, who then hand them over to London & Continental Stations and Property (LCSP) who will be the longterm owners of the line with management, operation and maintenance undertaken by Network Rail.

As of February 2006 there are strong rumours that a 'third party' (believed to be a consortium headed by banker Sir Adrian Montague) has expressed an interest in buying out the present partners in the project.

The project

Section 1 of the CTRL, a 74 km (46 mile) section of high-speed track from the Channel Tunnel to Fawkham Junction in north Kent, was opened in September 2003. This cut the London–Paris journey time by around 21 minutes, to 2 h 35 min. The section includes a 1.2 km (¾ mile) bridge over the River Medway and 3.2 km (2 mile) long, 12 m (40 ft) diameter tunnel through the North Downs. In safety testing on the section prior to opening, a new UK rail speed record of 335 km/h (208 mph) was set *. Trains continue to use existing suburban lines to enter London, and terminate at Waterloo International Terminal, at Waterloo in central London. Much of the line runs alongside the M2 and M20 motorways through Kent.

Section 2 of the project, due to open in 2007 (possibly in December), is a 21 mile (34 km) stretch of track from Ebbsfleet (near Northfleet) to London St Pancras. It includes two new stations (at Ebbsfleet and London Stratford), a 3 km (2 mile) tunnel under the Thames near Dartford, and a 19 km (12 mile) twin tunnel running into central London. When the second phase of the CTRL is opened, all Eurostar trains will run to St Pancras International instead of Waterloo International Terminal.

Engineering notes

  • The CTRL project is one of the United Kingdom's largest civil engineering projects, encompassing new bridges and tunnels as well as many kilometres of track.

  • The twin tunnels bored under London were driven from Stratford westwards towards St Pancras and eastwards towards Dagenham and from Dagenham westwards to connect with the tunnel from Stratford. The tunnel boring machines were 130 yards (120 m) long and weighed 1,083 long tons (1,100 tonnes). The depth of the tunnel varies from 80 to 165 feet (24 to 50 m).

  • At St Pancras station a new extension will double the length and number of platforms to accommodate the Eurostar trains.

Additional information

After local protests, early plans were modified to put much more of the track in tunnel where it nears St Pancras. For example, the Link will now pass underneath, rather than alongside, the North London Line, before running into St Pancras still in tunnel, rather than the previously expected elevated section. The CTRL building works are causing considerable disruption, but bringing in their wake much redevelopment of the run-down area of post-industrial and ex-railway land close to King's Cross and St Pancras.

In 2002 the Rail Link was awarded the "Major Project Award" at the British Construction Industry Awards.

Section 2 of the rail link was a factor in London's successful 2012 Olympic Bid, promising a seven-minute journey time from Stratford to St Pancras to be operated as Olympic Javelin by Southeastern.

In August 2005, a fire on a maintenance train in the tunnel under the Thames killed two workers.

See also

External links

Railway lines of England | London's railways | Transport in Kent | Electric railways | High-speed railway lines | Public inquiries | Ashford, Kent | Eurostar

Channel Tunnel Rail Link | Channel Tunnel Rail Link | Channel Tunnel Rail Link | CTRL

 

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the "Channel Tunnel Rail Link".

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