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Deutsche Bahn train passes channel tunnel test run

Source: Reuters - Mon 18th Oct 2010

"The evacuation test this weekend with around 300 passengers on board was successful" a spokesman for the German railroad operator said on Sunday.

The state-owned rail group wants to demonstrate it can run safely on the route, which is being opened up to competition under European Union rules.

The cross-channel service is run by Eurostar, a subsidiary of railway operators in the UK, France and Belgium, but the German railway has repeatedly asked for access to the tunnel.

The safety tests are part of a number of tests needed for Deutsche Bahn to obtain approval to begin services by the end of 2013, the spokesman added.

DB wants to link directly to London from the end of 2013, challenging airlines and rail rival Eurostar on lucrative routes such as a connection between the financial centres of London and Frankfurt.

DB plans to run inter-city express ICE3-type trains made by Siemens. These are similar to the 10 Siemens-built trains Eurostar is buying - capable of reaching 320 km per hour (200mph) - as part of a 700 million pound investment.

The decision to buy Siemens trains has angered French rival Alstom, manufacturer for France's high-speed TGV network, and the traditional supplier of Eurostar trains.

Alstom and the French government have condemned the decision and said tunnel safety rules did not currently allow Siemens trains.

According to a report in Germany's Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, France plans to take its complaint to the European commission.

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