Fully loaded spent fuel train parked at Plymouth Station

Transportation of Radioactive Materials

Nuclear submarine reactor spent fuel train

Nuclear Train Route Plymouth - Sellafield

• Devonport Dockyard Submarine Refit Complex
• Keyham Junction Plymouth (joins Penzance to London mainline)
• Plymouth Station (city centre)
• Exeter St. David's Station, Exeter
• Taunton, Devon
• Bristol Temple Meads, Bristol
• Cheltenham
• Walsall - Midlands
• Crewe Coal Yard, Crewe
• Preston - Lancashire
• Sellafield Nuclear Plant, British Nuclear Fuels Ltd.(BNFL ) takes over
• Submarine Spent Fuel Storage Building - BNFL Sellafield Cumbria

Journey time approx, 12 hours.

At Plymouth, train waits for line clearance (has been seem waiting for 20 mins.next next to an empty InterCity 125 (see top photo) in the middle of the station. No restriction on public access to proximity of train.

Passenger carriages contain health physics workers from Devonport Dockyard and MoD police. Two flasks beneath grey 'modesty' cover - each flask contains a quarter of a core. Diesel engine from ScotRail - so likely to have come down from Rosyth in Scotland.

Bristol and West CND tell us that in the event of an accident local Chief Constable would be informed who would liaise with Chief Fire Officer. They would then decide on action to take. Radiographers from local hospitals would be summoned and an emergency team based at Faslane would be alerted. In rural areas, part time firemen would have to cope with any emergency.

At 15 mSv of dose, fire teams would have to be changed. At Plymouth there are no specific local authority emergency plans for a nuclear train accident. City Emergency Officer says they are not told of movements or what is on trains, so they cannot plan for an emergency. Navy tell us that in their opinion there is no credible accident scenario for a nuclear train accident resulting in a release of radioactivity. But Navy say emergency plans do exist 'just in case'.

Navy say if accident occurs, an immediate 50 metre exclusion zone will be placed around train by personnel on train. We have pointed out that in a severe accident, personnel may not be in a fit condition to throw an exclusion zone around anything! Navy say that if worst were to happen and of course it never could, the only area likely to be affected would extend to 15-20 metres and well within their 'exclusion zone'.

Navy have admitted that a spent fuel shipment went out in Oct. 94 a t 6.30 pm and another in Jan. 95 at 4.40 am. Another in June 95 at 4.30 am. We know that there is half a spent fuel core left to be removed, which means several rail shipments have taken place since June 95 although we have had no further sightings.

Mid 96 - all backlogged spent fuel now removed from Devonport Dockyard in 'temporary' NTL flasks. Navy tell us that one further shipment is due by end of 1996.

DIG Dec. 96

Spent fuel train passing through Plymouth