Eurotunnel Class 9

Tendering for the locomotive procurement began in 1989. The specification included; a top speed of ; a terminal-to-terminal travel time of 33 minutes pulling a train; an axle load limit of ; an operating temperature range between and ; a loading gauge within the UIC 505-1 standard; a minimum curve radius of ; be able to start a shuttle train on a 1 in 160 (0.625 %) gradient with one locomotive bogie inoperative (at ), and a single locomotive should be able to start the train on the same gradient if the other locomotive failed. The operating concession agreement between the tunnel operator and the British and French governments required that there be a locomotive on either end of the train, allowing the reversing or splitting of the train in an emergency. The design specifications implied a minimum power of , and also meant that a four-axle design would not be guaranteed to be able to supply sufficient tractive effort. ESCL proposed a six-axle Bo′Bo′Bo′ locomotive derived from the narrow-gauge EF class locomotives supplied by Brush Traction to the New Zealand Railways Corporation and won the contract with an initial order of 40 in July 1989. The main traction electrical system consists of: two pantographs (duplicated for redundancy) collecting a 25 kV AC supply which feeds the main transformer, with separate output windings rectified to a DC link (one per bogie) using four quadrant converters. The direct current drives a three-phase inverter, which powers two asynchronous three-phase induction motors. The driver's cab and exterior design of the locomotives was undertaken by DCA Design. Side windows in the locomotive cab are omitted to prevent 'segment flicker' caused by fast running in the tunnel, a potential distraction and cause of operator drowsiness. The operator's cabin is air conditioned and pressurised for comfort. The locomotive uses in-cab TVM 430 signalling. The driving cab also incorporates train manager's facilities, including safety systems such as CCTV, alarms and communication links. There is a second driving position for shunting at the rear of the locomotive. ==Testing and operations==

The initial order for 40 units was reduced to 38, numbered 9001 to 9038. The locomotives are maintained at the Eurotunnel depot located just beside Eurotunnel Calais Terminal at Coquelles near Calais, France. The formal opening took place on 6 May 1994 with Queen Elizabeth II and François Mitterrand travelling on a shuttle through the tunnel. The 1996 Channel Tunnel fire damaged locomotive 9030 beyond repair. It was scrapped in 1997 at the Coquelles depot. ==Later subclasses==

9100 subseries In 1997, Eurotunnel ordered five more locomotives and in 1998 the order was increased to a total of 14. This second batch of locomotives also had small improvements compared to the originals, including IGBT-based traction inverters instead of GTO-based and one inverter per motor instead of one per bogie. Names After introduction the locomotives were named after opera singers. In 1997 four units were named Jungfraujoch, Lötschberg, Gotthard and Furkatunnel, after Swiss rail tunnels. ==Notes==