A power outage caused the suspension of all passenger and vehicle trains in the Channel tunnel on Tuesday, disrupting thousands of journeys ahead of the new year celebrations.
Eurostar’s website showed nearly all of the day’s passenger services between London and Europe were cancelled, while LeShuttle trains, which carry private cars and freight vehicles, were due to restart by the afternoon – although drivers trapped in queues to exit the UK are facing six-hour delays.
The tunnel’s operator, Getlink, said engineers were working to resolve the issue, and services on LeShuttle should gradually resume from 2pm UK time.
“An incident related to the power supply to trains occurred last night in part of the Channel tunnel, affecting train and shuttle traffic. A technical intervention is required, which is currently under way,” Getlink said. “The service is temporarily suspended in both directions. Traffic is expected to resume gradually around 1500 CET [1400 GMT] for LeShuttle customers.”
A broken-down LeShuttle train had been moved out of the Channel tunnel, a Eurostar spokesperson told the PA news agency. The operator said none of its passengers were stranded inside the tunnel.
Queues of cars and lorries have formed at Folkestone, from where the LeShuttle trains depart. By Tuesday afternoon, the operator’s live travel updates webpage stated services were resuming, with long delays.
Channel tunnel trains carry tens of thousands of passengers and vehicles a day during the Christmas season.
In a notice posted on its website on Tuesday morning, the Eurostar operator said: “Due to a problem with the overhead power supply in the Channel tunnel and a subsequent failed LeShuttle train, we strongly advise all our passengers to postpone their journey to a different date. Please don’t come to the station unless you already have a ticket to travel.”
As of Tuesday afternoon, Eurostar said it would resume services to Europe, but it “strongly” advised passengers to postpone their journeys. Live service updates showed all departures for Paris on 30 December as cancelled, other than two trains at 18.01 and 19.01. In the other direction, only the 18.12 and 19.12 trains were listed as scheduled to depart for London.
Travellers wait at Gare du Nord station in Paris. Photograph: Christophe Ena/AP
A statement on the LeShuttle website posted on Tuesday morning said: “Services are temporarily suspended for up to 3 hours for both terminals due to a power supply issue. We are working hard to resolve this. Apologies for any inconvenience caused.”
Cars stuck in lines of traffic waiting to board a LeShuttle service from Folkestone to Calais. Photograph: Dean Pallant
Rory Boland, the editor of Which? Travel, said: “Those who have had their train cancelled have the option to exchange their booking or claim a refund or Eurostar e-voucher. For delays, travellers are entitled to compensation.
“Check the Eurostar website for live updates and consider other options for your travel plans. If you are delayed overnight, you have the right to be put up in a hotel or be reimbursed for one.
“It may also be possible to use other routes to get home, such as the ferry, but you will need to contact Eurostar first or risk being left out of pocket.”
The Port of Dover has said that ferry operators running between Dover and Calais have capacity for extra passengers looking for alternative routes, the BBC reported.
The east coast mainline train company LNER said that “any customers who have had to abandon their journey in London King’s Cross are able to return to their home station on the next available LNER service at no additional cost”.
LNER customers who choose to defer their Eurostar travel to a different day may use their existing LNER ticket to travel on that same day, it added.
