25kv cable falls at St Pancras

[yorkie]

http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/stand...e-in-eurostar-panic-as-live-wire-collapses.do

Passengers disembarking a Eurostar train were forced to flee in terror as a live overhead cable fell inches from them.

The high voltage cable collapsed as the 5.13pm train from Paris to London drew into platform nine at St Pancras International yesterday.

Travellers screamed as it snaked uncontrollably across the platform, showering sparks and narrowly missing them.

One passenger, Michael Stirling said: “I was just helping someone off the train with their bags when I heard this fizzling noise.

“Suddenly this huge cable snapped. It was snaking all over the platform. People were screaming and throwing themselves out of the way. It was obviously live because there was a continuous vibration and every time it touched the ground it was like a firework display. If it had touched anyone they would have been killed.”

Mr Stirling, 37, from north London, said he and other passengers fled the platform as soon as they could.

“I just crouched down behind the stairwell,” he said. “There were hundreds of people there. People were rushing towards the exit. I was worried because I didn't know if anyone got hurt.”

The fire brigade were called as engineers worked on shutting down the cable.

A spokeswoman for London Fire Brigade said: “We attended at St Pancras platform 9 where a high voltage cable was short circuiting. It was dealt with by Network Rail engineers and declared safe at 7.14pm.” There were no injuries.

An investigation has been launched into how the cable, which provides the energy for the train, became dislodged.

Bram Smets, spokesman for Eurostar, said: “We had a catenary [wiring] problem after a cable came loose. No one was hurt. Engineers are trying to find out how this happened and to find out who is responsible for the fault.”

The incident caused travel chaos as all Eurostar trains were halted with the electricity on the line cut off and none went in or out of St Pancras for two hours.

Trains were eventually on the move by 9.30pm.

Pub chef Wojtek Wawrzyniak, 33, from Andover, Hants, was stuck coming back from a holiday in Paris with 15 friends visiting from Brazil.

He said: “It was very frustrating. They told us there's no electricity in the station.

“The train stopped somewhere in Kent and we were just sitting there for over two hours.

“We had booked hire cars at Heathrow to get home but we are too late and now we will all have to spend the night in a hotel.”

Software consultant Amit Singh, 34, from Reading, Berks, was on a train from Paris that was held up at Calais.

He said: “We were stuck just before the tunnel for an hour and a half. It's annoying because I have another train to catch.

“They said we can have a free one-way ticket to Paris to make up for it. What's the use of that? You would have to buy another ticket to get home again.

“It's a pointless gesture.”

Honeymooners Jose-Luis Perez, 27, and Anna Mendoza, 25, from Mexico City, were caught up returning through Paris on the last leg of a European tour.

Mr Perez said: “We suddenly stopped for over an hour somewhere in France and we didn't know if we were going to get to London. We have to get to Gatwick for our flight home.”

Mr Smets said that passengers who were delayed by more than two hours would be compensated by a voucher for a return journey and those delayed by one hour would get a single journey.

 

[Swift-Deere]

Thats quite terrifying, lucky no one was hurt

 

[Bayum]

Bad times for them!!

But seriously... How does something, not even a decade old... Have a serious incident like that happening??

 

[Mojo]

Meanwhile BBC reports that the cable fell as the train was still pulling in and that circuitbreakers stopped the electricity. Hmm, who to believe?

 

[MCR247]

If the cable fell, when the the train was pulling in, why were people getting off and helping others off

 

[jopsuk]

I LOVE the idea of a one-way ticket as compensation! Awesome move by the marketing department. Fantastically cynical- few will take it up, and those that do are pretty much forced to by another single, and can't take advantage of most special offers. Utter, twisted, genius.

 

[O L Leigh]

Bloody useless journalism again. Send them all on a PTS course.

It was probably just a straightforward dewirement. Although slightly scary if it happened in a station, if the immediate area was clear of people there would have been no danger at all. As soon as the cable earths the circuit breakers would trip.

O L Leigh

 

[Bayum]

Bloody useless journalism again. Send them all on a PTS course.

It was probably just a straightforward dewirement. Although slightly scary if it happened in a station, if the immediate area was clear of people there would have been no danger at all. As soon as the cable earths the circuit breakers would trip.

O L Leigh

Fair enough... But the general Public aren't going to know that are they??

I mean, I know i'd rather run and hide - than take the risk of that actually happening...

 

[GB]

Even when the circuit breakers trip after a dewirement, there is still enough residule current left in the wires to kill or seriously injure someone.

 

[37401]

some of the comments are funny

The photo shows DOMESTIC high speed trains with a carraige of a eurostar in the background....

Looks like 2 eurostars to me!

This never happened at Waterloo...

Some years ago lightening broke an overhead power cable outside my house - it too snaked about spitting sparks. The fire brigade closed the road but would not go anywhere near until edf(?) turned off the suppy.
Is it beyond the wit of man to install some form of circuit-breaker which cuts of the supply when a cable breaks?

aaand ive just wet myself haha, oh and its N-power

 

[Fincra5]

LOL! "This never happened at waterloo". I wonder why

 

[2030720310]

LOL! "This never happened at waterloo". I wonder why

haha, I know hilarious....

But no seriously, there must be some safety issue stuff that should be investigated with his, dunno really, how well built was it built at St Pancras?

 

[Mojo]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/8276037.stm

Better service than customers would have received had they chosen to fly...

 

[Bill EWS]

Perfect example of putting all your eggs in one basket. There should be an alternative terminal for Eurostar trains elsewhere in London. Waterloo sounds good. Or what about Stratford! Glad no-one was injured. It must have been pretty scary for them.

 

[EM2]

Perfect example of putting all your eggs in one basket. There should be an alternative terminal for Eurostar trains elsewhere in London. Waterloo sounds good. Or what about Stratford! Glad no-one was injured. It must have been pretty scary for them.

Why? Was there an alternative when Eurostar was at Waterloo?

 

[dan_atki]

Why? Was there an alternative when Eurostar was at Waterloo?

I believe Kensington Olympia was a backup - Wikipedia (!) agrees with me here:

Before Eurostar services transferred in November 2007 to St Pancras International Eurostar trains passed through Kensington Olympia going from Waterloo International station to North Pole depot and the station was a backup terminus for the services should Waterloo International have become unusable and immigration facilities were maintained there.

I would expect once Stratford International is ready similar facilities will exist there in times of emergency.

 

[jon0844]

What is the alternative in Belgium and France if the terminals are 'down' for some reason?

Secondly, are these equipped to handle security/passport control?

 

[Old Timer]

According to my contacts the Contact wire was damaged and parted, coming down on top of the train.

The breakers tripped when the wire came down and were not reset. I suspect some of the more lurid tales are from sensationalists, and those with an eye to a Compensation claim, after their 15 minutes of fame.

I am told that one of the pantographs has been removed for technical examination.

 

[adc82140]

What is the alternative in Belgium and France if the terminals are 'down' for some reason?

In France, there's Lille (you can get domestic TGVs on from there), and Marne-La-Valle just outside Paris (marketed by Eurostar as Disneyland)

In times of disruption, I don't know why the likes of Ashford and Ebbsfleet aren't used until they're full up. Given a choice between sitting for hours going nowhere or being dumped at Ashford, I'd certainly prefer the Ashford option- at least you can use traditional trains to get yourself, albeit slowly, in to London.

 

[bengley]

I couldn't help but laugh at that journalism. The words they used just made me chuckle.

 

[the sniper]

According to my contacts the Contact wire was damaged and parted, coming down on top of the train.

The breakers tripped when the wire came down and were not reset. I suspect some of the more lurid tales are from sensationalists, and those with an eye to a Compensation claim, after their 15 minutes of fame.

I am told that one of the pantographs has been removed for technical examination.

Sorry to bump the thread, RAIB have confirmed the above:
http://www.raib.gov.uk/publications/current_investigations_register/090923_st_pancras.cfm

Expect the report to be released in April 2014... :roll: