Eurotunnel signs contract with MICROSENS

The investment into state-of-the-art transmission technology connected over Gigabit Ethernet and fiber optic links permitted the interconnection of diverse applications and an efficient operation of the tunnel. High availability and an appropriate performance are indispensable factors required to achieve these objectives. These are reached by means of the robustness of the MICROSENS system, which is already ensured via the hardware design of the components, among other parameters. In the case of a disruption, the fiber optic ring topology permits the automatic failure detection as well as the subsequent automatic repair of the architecture within milliseconds in order to ensure the availability of the complete infrastructure.

Eurotunnel, the operators of the Channel Tunnel, have decided to deploy IP technology and are now using the MICROSENS switches. Additionally, two physically separated networks are set up. Among other purposes, the "critical network" is designed to perform the surveillance and control of technical processes (SCADA) which are directly related to the railway traffic. Specifically, this affects the control of the railway traffic, the halting of trains, signalling equipment, as well as smoke and fire detectors. The second operating system is used for less critical applications, such as video-surveillance, telephony, and the monitoring of automation processes.

The Channel Tunnel was opened in 1994. It is a “pure” railway tunnel which is used for the transport of goods and passenger transfer. Up to now, 360 million passengers have been transported through the Channel Tunnel. In the year 2015, an average of 60,000 travellers per day used the tunnel to pass the Channel. Moreover, 52,000 tons of goods were transported on average per day. This makes the Channel Tunnel one of the most-frequented railway lines of the world and in this sense represents a unique and important strategic infrastructure.

"An integrated transport system such as the Channel Tunnel needs to be considered just as critically important as power plants, water works or data centers. As the operator, we accordingly invest in modern communications technologies with redundancy mechanisms in order to maintain the operability of the tunnel and to ensure the safety of the passengers and the goods transported at any time," says Mr. Pochet, Infrastructure Director of Eurotunnel. The technical infrastructure (operation, surveillance, and maintenance of the tunnel) and the shuttle trains transporting the vehicles are administrated by Eurotunnel, a subsidiary of the Eurotunnel Group SE.  

"For Eurotunnel, safety is the top priority. The significance of the Channel Tunnel is not only an economical one, considering the value of the transported goods. As we are also transporting passenger, it has a human dimension, as well. The equipment of the tunnel under the Channel with MICROSENS transmission systems permits the secure operation of the tunnel and guarantees the safety of the passengers transported," explains Jürgen Hansjosten, member of the management board of euromicron AG. “For MICROSENS and euromicron, this project is an excellent opportunity to provide appropriate solutions and to prove their strategic orientation in the field of "critical infrastructures".