Design of multivoltage locos for international service

The vehicles which are described consist of two locomotives and eighteen coaches and are designed to run London-Paris and London-Brussels through the Channel Tunnel. To minimise the journey time from city centre to city centre a cruising speed of 300 kph on 25 kV lines will be used in France and Belgium. Track and power supply restrictions will initially restrict UK speeds to 160 kph. To achieve the power required for 300 kph within the allowed weight limit of 68 tonnes requires the use of three phase asynchronous motors. The authors set out some of the constraints which have had to be considered in the design