Booth Industries’ work on HS1, the Channel Tunnel Rail Link, is a clear example of the company delivering specialist safety systems for critical rail infrastructure. The project involved the design, manufacture and installation of cross-passage bulkhead and door assemblies across the route between London and the Channel Tunnel, including challenging tunnel locations beneath the River Thames and at track-level ventilation shafts.
The contract was worth more than £3 million and ran from 2006 to 2009 for Network Rail. It was a significant project for Booth Industries because it required proven engineering, reliable manufacturing and careful installation in a high-profile national infrastructure asset.
In an emergency, cross-passage doors allow passengers to move from one tunnel bore to another, help emergency services gain access, and support the control of fire, smoke and air pressure. They also protect key services and equipment within the tunnel environment.
Booth Industries supplied systems that had to meet several demanding requirements at the same time. The doors needed to be wide enough for evacuation and emergency access. They also had to provide fire integrity, manage smoke leakage, withstand pressure changes caused by high-speed trains and remain practical to operate during maintenance.
The operating environment made the project more demanding. HS1 is a continuously operating railway, so access for maintenance is limited to short night-time periods. Booth Industries designed the systems with long-term maintenance in mind, reducing the risk of disruption and supporting asset reliability over time.
The company handled the project through its own engineering, design, manufacturing and installation capability. This gave Booth Industries control over the full process, from specification through to delivery. In infrastructure projects where safety and programme timing are important, that level of control can reduce delivery risk.
The installed systems included FD60 fire integrity to BS 476, double-swing heavy duty doors for two-way escape, cyclic pressure design of plus or minus 10kPa, controlled air leakage at 1kPa, push bar activation and pressure relief dampers to reduce the force needed to open the doors.
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