"Alistair Bell" wrote in message
ups.com...



By the way, someone upthread mentioned that end doors are needed on
Thameslink -- really? Even in a double-track tunnel? But wasn't the
whole point of ordering 365s on both sides of the river that they
were
going to run through?

I may be wrong, but I had understood that, originally, all the 365s
were to go to South Eastern to replace some slammers, but ultimately
25 were sent to (what was) WAGN instead, leaving just 16 for South
Eastern.



(Or is this the Prescottists instituting
pointless safety rules again?) I know that the GN&C tunnels are
single-bore and small enough that end doors are needed -- that seems
fair enough. But I didn't think that would apply to the Thameslink
tunnels. If you can run a Pendolino through Primrose
Hill/Shugborough/wherever without end doors, why can't you run a 365
through Thameslink? (What's the current status on running 365s
between
Dover and Folkestone? Are they still banned?)


I think its something to do with tunnel width not necessarily the
single/double track/boredness of them.
The Dover/Folkestone tunnels are very narrow with no room to escape
from the side of the train, hence the need for end doors. Other
single-bore tunnels may well be wide enough to allow egress and safe
passage from the side of the train, so no need for end doors.

Similarly, its possible the double track Thameslink tunnel, whilst
wide enough for two tracks, doesn't have enough width either side for
passengers to escape and walk along the side, and therefore need to be
able to escape from the ends. And if its any tunnel, its more likely
the one north of Farringdon rather than the one under the Thames.