Eurostar has awarded a contract to renew its driver simulator worth more than half a million pounds to Sydac of Adelaide, South Australia.

Sydac will substantially develop and upgrade the capabilities of Eurostar’s existing driver simulator, which is essential for the training and retraining of international drivers on its core fleet of Class 373s. The simulator will have its current range of capabilities extended using the most up-to-date technologies, to provide leading edge simulation and modelling techniques to optimise driver performance.

The UK’s first high-speed line, High-Speed 1 will open later this year following the completion of the second section from just south of Gravesend in north Kent to St Pancras International in central London. Eurostar will launch services from St Pancras International on 14 November after switching its entire operation overnight from Waterloo International. It is important that the new simulator includes the new routes and signalling to St Pancras and Eurostar’s new train maintenance depot at Temple Mills in east London.

Eurostar has around 240 drivers, including 80 from the UK who are direct employees and exclusively drive Eurostar trains and another 160 from French Railways and Belgian Railways who also drive TGV and Thalys high-speed trains.

Each Eurostar train comprises two power cars and 18 passenger coaches and carries up to 750 passengers. The trains are capable of working on four different voltage/power systems, four different signalling systems and reach speeds of 186 mph (300kph).

Nicolas Petrovic, Eurostar’s Chief Operations Officer, said: “The simulator will provide the best possible environment for hands-on training in an accurate representation of a driver’s cab. Drivers can be tested on a range of operational scenarios which could not be carried out on a ‘live’ high-speed railway.

“Simulator work, in conjunction with on-track driver training and route learning, provides our drivers with the knowledge to operate safely and efficiently on the high-speed rail network in the three countries and the Channel Tunnel. It will also help to ensure Eurostar is at the optimum state of preparedness when services are launched on High Speed 1 later this year.”

Adrian Smith, Sydac’s Chief Executive Officer, said, “We are delighted to have been selected for this key project for Eurostar, which comes at such an important time in its history. Being chosen by one of the world’s leading train operators further enhances Sydac’s growing reputation as a leader in the simulator industry.”