Channel Tunnel leads digital revolution
Today, Thursday 16 February 2017, Eurotunnel hosted a visit to its terminal in Coquelles, France, by the French Secretary of State for Digital and Innovation, Madame Axelle Lemaire. Eurotunnel presented to the Minister its €100 million, multi-annual investment plan, the 2020 Digital Programme.
Jacques Gounon, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Groupe Eurotunnel SE stated:
“I would like to thank Axelle Lemaire for her visit, which has provided the occasion to shine a light on how the European digital industry is a vital link for Eurotunnel and an opportunity for growth in the future. Our Digital programme will enable us to provide our own staff and customers with even better and more effective information”.
The 2020 Digital Programme:
Having already invested in GSM-R and GSM-P communications technologies, including the very popular 4G network in the Tunnel, Eurotunnel has a continuing programme of investment in digital technology for the future along several different lines:
- The use of paperless technology for mobile Group staff on the terminals and on board the Shuttles, based on Navipad for train drivers and train captains, using WOOP for maintenance technicians and Elite, a real time performance monitoring tool.
- The use of data to help terminal operations adapt to the passage of each customer so that both individual and collective activities can be optimised using complex, ever more complete and varying data,
- The maintenance of Shuttles and rails which, now equipped with intelligent receptors (using the internet of things), transmit information in real time. Eurotunnel is also preparing to equip its trains with receptors capable of analysing the condition of the track whilst in service at high speed.
- For an infrastructure which already provides an exceptional level of availability, the ambition is to move from two nights to just one night of maintenance per week. For Eurotunnel, the digital revolution is a major scientific, and technological project.
