All change for Eurostar
February 1st 2008 Linde has provided a complete tailored logistics solution
for Eurostar at St Pancras International
On the 14th of November, Eurostar
moved from London Waterloo to its
new home at St Pancras
International. The new station is served by
a high speed rail line which will reduce
journey times by 20 minutes.
During the early build stages, in February
2005, Camberley-based Linde Material
Handling South East, together with over 19
other materials handling suppliers, were
contacted by Eurostar to bid for the 29
truck deal.
Despite this fierce competition, Linde
offered a package of, not only materials
handling equipment, but a complete
solution tailored to meet all Eurostar's
requirements.
Linde worked together with other
manufacturers to design baggage trolleys
to be pulled by the tow tractors and even a
lift which carries the order pickers from the
loading bay on the lower ground floor up to
the station platform.
Peter Risebrow, business manager
(logistics) for Eurostar, commented: "Linde
offered us a complete logistics solution, not
just a fleet of trucks. We wanted a onestop-
shop and Linde was able to provide
this."
The new Linde fleet consists of five truck
different types – all electric – performing a
variety of tasks. This includes five N 20 low
level order pickers adapted for baggage
handling; a total of 18 tow tractors,
comprising P 250s capable of towing 25
tonne and used for replenishing the trains
with food and drink, as well as smaller
capacity P 30s and P 60s, which handle
containerised waste; three T 20 powered
pallet trucks deliver food into low level
preparation areas; two E 16 electric
counterbalance trucks are used for
unloading lorries; and an R 16 reach truck
stores and retrieves loads in the warehouse.
All the trucks have been supplied in the
Eurostar acid yellow corporate colour.
The order pickers have all been clearly
marked with names to make it easier to
identify individual trucks and keep track of
their work patterns to ensure battery
charging is undertaken when necessary.
The entire fleet has been fitted with
maintenance-free gel batteries supplied by
Bolton-based Exide Technologies Industrial
Energy, who worked closely with Linde in
order to ensure that battery and charging
equipment was to optimum specification.
Fork truck training was also provided by
Linde to ensure that all operators were
familiar with the new fleet, which will
provide support for up to 50 trains daily
between London, Paris and Brussels. More articles from Linde Material Handling (UK) Ltd: | 
