Key to the
ventilation system for the more than nine mile (14.5 kilometre) tunnel at CP Rail's Rogers
Pass project is a mid-tunnel ventilation shaft. This will allow exhaust fumes
to be removed from the eastern portion of the tunnel while the train is passing through the
western portion. Reading from top to bottom, this diagram shows how it works. As a train
approaches the tunnel's east portal, a portal door will open automatically while a
mid-tunnel door will remain closed. Fresh air will be forced down the eastern
section of the 1,145 foot (348.9 metre) vent shaft and along the length of the approaching
train to cool the locomotives and force exhaust fumes out the east portal. When a train
reaches the middle of the tunnel, the mid-tunnel door will open and when the
rear of the train has passed the middle of the tunnel, the mid-tunnel door
will close. Air then will be forced along the train and exhausted up the western section of
the vent shaft - 1984 CP Rail.
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