Firefighters and ambulance crews will now be able to reach emergencies in the Severn Tunnel much faster, following the release of Network Rail’s first ‘road-to-rail’ vehicle.
The 7.25 tonne Mitsubishi Canter can switch from road to railway helping emergency services reach incidents on the railway much faster and potentially helping to save lives.
The railway company has been working on the design with South Wales Fire and Rescue Service and Avon Fire and Rescue Service along with other emergency services to ensure the vehicle can provide the quickest response times possible while carrying their life-saving equipment.
It will be housed at Maindee fire station in Newport.
Robyn MacNamara, Network Rail’s project manager said: “The safety of our passengers is our priority and these vehicles will allow for a faster and more effective multi-agency emergency response.
“The Severn Tunnel is around four-and-a-half miles long, so when an emergency incident happens, quick access for emergency services is vital. That is why we have developed this bespoke vehicle which has dedicated provisions for both firefighters and ambulance crews onboard.
“We would like to thank our emergency services partners and our supplier, GOS Tool & Engineering, for their help in developing our idea, bringing this replacement incident response vehicle to life.
“We are also donating another of these vehicles to Avon Fire and Rescue Service, later this month, which will mean emergency services, in both Wales and England, will be better equipped to deal with any potential emergencies inside the Severn Tunnel.”
Maindee station commander, Gareth Evans, said: “I’m absolutely delighted that we are welcoming this fantastic vehicle into our response fleet. It’s clear the benefits it'll bring including quicker response times, multi-agency response as well as being far more flexible and agile than our existing vehicle road appliances.
“With the vehicle being fully functional on the rail lines it will ensure our crews are able to respond effectively in hard to reach areas along rail tracks providing invaluable immediate intervention to help saves lives and prevent the escalation of incidents.”
