Breakdowns close the Chunnel
Source: Agencies |
December 21, 2009, Monday
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THE only rail link between Britain and France was closed for testing yesterday, after a series of breakdowns trapped thousands in a tunnel for hours in claustrophobic conditions, train company Eurostar said.
The breakdowns in the Channel Tunnel, often called the Chunnel, on Friday evening meant that about 31,000 people in Britain, France and Belgium had to cancel trips planned on Eurostar on Saturday, and 26,000 more were expected to be affected yesterday.
Eurostar originally said that four of its trains were halted in the tunnel Friday evening.
Yesterday the company said a fifth train had also been disabled in tunnel before being towed to London. A sixth train broke down Friday, although outside the tunnel, 38 kilometers of which sits under the English Channel, Eurostar said.
Following unsuccessful attempts to move some passengers between London and Paris on Saturday evening, the company canceled all services "until we get to the bottom of what happened Friday night," Eurostar chief executive Richard Brown said.
"We will not start services again until we are sure we can get them through safely," he told BBC television. "We want to understand what it was that caused this unprecedented breakdown."
He added that normal services might not return for days. The company said it had taken the precautionary step of canceling all ticket sales until after Christmas.
Accounts from trapped passengers spoke of languishing in the dark for up to 16 hours without adequate food, water or any clear idea of what was happening. Some reportedly suffered asthma and panic attacks.
While most of the trains were towed out, two had to be evacuated, forcing passengers to walk through sections of the darkened tunnel.
Brown seemed to acknowledge that there were some problems on at least one train but defended his staff.
"I'm not pretending it well. I think it went quite a bit better than people say," he said.
The breakdowns in the Channel Tunnel, often called the Chunnel, on Friday evening meant that about 31,000 people in Britain, France and Belgium had to cancel trips planned on Eurostar on Saturday, and 26,000 more were expected to be affected yesterday.
Eurostar originally said that four of its trains were halted in the tunnel Friday evening.
Yesterday the company said a fifth train had also been disabled in tunnel before being towed to London. A sixth train broke down Friday, although outside the tunnel, 38 kilometers of which sits under the English Channel, Eurostar said.
Following unsuccessful attempts to move some passengers between London and Paris on Saturday evening, the company canceled all services "until we get to the bottom of what happened Friday night," Eurostar chief executive Richard Brown said.
"We will not start services again until we are sure we can get them through safely," he told BBC television. "We want to understand what it was that caused this unprecedented breakdown."
He added that normal services might not return for days. The company said it had taken the precautionary step of canceling all ticket sales until after Christmas.
Accounts from trapped passengers spoke of languishing in the dark for up to 16 hours without adequate food, water or any clear idea of what was happening. Some reportedly suffered asthma and panic attacks.
While most of the trains were towed out, two had to be evacuated, forcing passengers to walk through sections of the darkened tunnel.
Brown seemed to acknowledge that there were some problems on at least one train but defended his staff.
"I'm not pretending it well. I think it went quite a bit better than people say," he said.
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