The Transport Working Group

The Transport Working Group was formed on The 10th November 1999 to study all means of transport required for the installation of the LHC machine in the existing tunnel infrastructure of the LEP. The Groups' main aim is to assess the feasibility of transport propositions offered for the handling to be carried out in the new LHC environment. The working group is composed of Mechanical Engineers, Physicists and Transport Engineers, as well as specialists who are invited to the meetings for their advice on certain aspects of the forthcoming installation. In May 2001 the group mandate was revised to include all means of transport, including surface transport as well as that required in the tunnel. The installation phase requires the handling of approximately 100,000 tonnes of delicate experimental equipment with very strict limits in terms of acceleration and shock loading. This must be installed via vertical shafts up to 140 meters deep.