High speed freight through Eurotunnel

http://www.eurotunnelgroup.com/uploaded ... -Carex.pdf

The high-speed freight train number 27274 (which has a potential load of 120 tonnes of parcels
equivalent to 7 articulated trucks) left Lyon-St Exupéry airport on Tuesday, 20 March at 16:42. It arrived
at St. Pancras International Station in London this morning travelling on High Speed One, via the
Channel Tunnel, having previously stopped to load additional cargo at Roissy (Paris-Charles de Gaulle
airport).

This would seem to be a TGV fitted out for parcels traffic.

i think this will take off in a big way . I'm surprised its taken so long to eventuate .

David Benton wrote:i think this will take off in a big way . I'm surprised its taken so long to eventuate .

What is taking so long is to pass different types of train for the tunnel and linked systems. We now have a German train passed and now a TGV.

I blame the Home Office mainly with its paranoia about immigration.

What the article doesn't say anything about is the facilities for handling parcels in Britain. Will this be done at St Pancras? If so, where? If not, where? Onward distribution would presumably be by truck as the rail parcels network has been abandoned within Britain.

I learn today from Rail magazine that the TGV was pulled by diesel through the tunnel and on HS1. It is not fitted with the software for the signalling systems of the Tunnel and HS1. So, we are still some way from seeing a regular service.

george matthews wrote:This would seem to be a TGV fitted out for parcels traffic.

The stated 120 tons payload would require a modified one. The three TGV Postes sets each have by standard eight cars each equipped to carry 31 pallets each with 100 kg weight and 250 kg payload, i.e. 62,000 kg net payload (ca 86,000 kg gross payload).
Perhaps they took the four cars from the spare half-set and added them to one of the three to increase payload for this single run (would about fit the 120 tons in gross payload)? Won't travel at 170 mph then though.

The latest news is that the parcels will be delivered to a site in East London, probably Dagenham. The yellow TGV will probably never be seen again in St Pancras. Getting the train fitted for the signalling of the Tunnel and HS1 will be necessary first, and the building of a receiving station.