The shares of Racal Electronics Plc were a bright feature yesterday, rising 14 pence to 438 pence on news the company’s Racal-Milgo Ltd had won the UKP20m-plus contract from Transmanche Link to build the speech and data communications systems for Eurotunnel’s Channel Tunnel. Racal-Milgo has picked as prime subcontractors Costain Telecommunications & Systems Ltd, Compagnie Generale de Travaux et d’Installations Electrique, and Northern Telecom Ltd. Other contractors are Eurotel Ltd, Societe Anonyme de Telecommunications, and Whitely Electronics Ltd. The contract covers system design, project planning and programme management for the telephone, data transmission and public address systems and the backbone will be 144Mbps fibre optic links running down the two rail and the service tunnels, and the system will include over 400 multiplexers. At the UK end, there will be links to British Telecom, Mercury Communications, British Rail and the Central Electricity Generating Board, with similar links to France Telecom, SNCF and the French electricity authority at the other end. The system is set to be completed in 1993.
