What a terrible coincidence, that our tunnel fire, safety and refurbishment issue should be leaving the office just as news comes in of a horrific terrorist bomb attack on London, mainly on its underground system. Reports as T&TI went to press indicate 50 dead, and some 700 injured.
At 08.51am on Thursday 7 July the first of three bombs tore through the London Underground; this one on the Circle Line, on an eastbound train between Liverpool Street and Aldgate Stations, 100 yards into the tunnel. Seven passengers are confirmed dead.
At 08.56am the terror spread to the Piccadilly Line as another device exploded on the south-bound train between Kings Cross St Pancras Station and Russell Square. Twenty-one lives were lost. The final explosion occurred at 09.17am, back on the Circle Line on a westbound train at Edgware Road Station. A wall was destroyed separating two tunnels, which subsequently collapsed onto a train on an adjoining platform. Seven more lives were lost.
A further bomb exploded on a bus at Tavistock Square killing 13. It is believed that the bomber had attempted to join a Northern Line tube train to detonate the device, but the earlier three incidents had lead to a complete shut down of the underground network, foiling attempts at a sub-surface detonation.
Currently specific information is difficult to ascertain, but structurally it appears the terrorist’s attempts to cripple London’s transport network have been largely un-effective. The Circle Line was hoped to be open a matter of days after the attack, whilst the Piccadilly Line fared worse, and is believed to be some weeks off re-opening.
To a great extent, the rest of the London’s Underground is back up and running as per normal, and Londoners are getting on with their daily routines.
What we do know is the Circle Line is not a deep level line, some 7m deep. This means it is mostly twin track cut and cover, and it is thought that much of the blast was vented through the tunnel, as considerably more ‘free air’ was available across its 7.6m width.
The problem with the Piccadilly Line is that it is deep, often 30m, with a much smaller diameter of some 3.5m to accommodate the single-track configuration. Trains pass through with just 15cm clearance, and by all accounts the damage was far greater. This has also greatly hampered rescue operations with crews having to approach through the burnt out train in temperatures of up to 60?C.
But initial concerns of a tunnel collapse here have proved unfounded. London Underground told T&TI that structurally the area is safe – proving testament to the fire safety engineering already in place on the deep level system.
T&TI would like to extend sympathies to the families and friends of all the victims and also our commendations to all involved in the admirable rescue and medical operations that followed.
Tris Thomas
