Passengers warned of more delays as Eurostar services resume
Eurostar passengers have been warned that continued delays and cancellations are possible, despite the resumption of services after a power outage in the Channel Tunnel.
Thousands of passengers faced hours of delays after the train operator cancelled all its London to Europe services on Tuesday when an overhead power supply problem and a failed LeShuttle train blocked all routes.
Some services resumed on the single available line on Tuesday evening with Eurostar saying there were “further issues with rail infrastructure overnight”.
A statement on the Eurostar website said: “We plan to run all of our services today, however due to knock-on impacts there may still be some delays and possible last-minute cancellations.”
Wednesday’s first train from St Pancras to Gare du Nord station in Paris, scheduled for 6.01am, was cancelled but all other services were showing as scheduled on the company’s website
A statement issued by Eurostar on Tuesday evening, advising passengers to rebook for another day if possible, said: “Although outside of our control, we apologise for the disruption today and will continue to keep customers updated with the latest information and support them with rescheduling their bookings.”
LeShuttle was also affected by the power issue. After warning of six-hour delays at the Folkestone terminal on Tuesday, the operator said that had dropped to 30 minutes on Wednesday morning.
Six-hour waits remained in Calais, but passengers were advised to check-in as planned.
The Channel Tunnel accommodates Eurostar services as well as LeShuttle vehicle-carrying trains between the UK and France.
Getlink, which operates the Channel Tunnel, said that “an incident related to the power supply to trains occurred last night in part of the Channel Tunnel, affecting train and shuttle traffic”.
On Tuesday, Eurostar staff at St Pancras station in central London were seen handing out water bottles to people waiting by a cordon who were caught up in the delays.
Cars hoping to cross the Eurotunnel caused traffic jams on the approach to the Folkestone terminal.
LeShuttle passenger Tim Brown said he had been stuck in his car on the train at the Calais terminal for more than three hours with “no access to food or water”.
Mr Brown, who was trying to get back to the UK after spending Christmas in Germany, was travelling with his dogs Rilo and Vinnie who he said are “hating life” stuck on the train.
“The fact that nobody has come around offering everybody a bottle of water is what has shocked me the most,” he said.
“I know things happen, but surely that would be an easy way to help.”
Published: by Radio NewsHub