Eurostar is running a reduced service today, after the three-day shutdown triggered by multiple train failures in freezing conditions on Friday night. If all goes well, two-thirds of the normal service is expected to be operated. Passengers who had bookings for Friday and Saturday are being given priority today, and the operator says later bookings will only be honoured tomorrow and Thursday.

Eurostar engineers say they have discovered that the main problem was snow penetrating the engine compartments. A membrane behind the ventilation grilles, which is designed to stop snow getting into the engines, is now being upgraded after a series of tests.

But the operator is still reeling under a barrage of criticism. As many as 75,000 passengers have been denied travel since Friday, and ferries have been refusing foot passengers in some cases, because they are no longer equipped to deal with passengers without vehicles. To add to the problems, Eurotunnel shuttles were overwhelmed on Monday, and many would-be travellers were turned away from the terminal at Folkestone. The airlines have reacted by providing extra flights and larger aircraft on routes to the Continent.

Eurostar is offering full refunds to all passengers who choose not to travel as a result of the problems. The 2500 who were actually stranded on Friday, when five trains stalled inside the Channel Tunnel, are receiving a full refund, another free return journey and £150, plus out-of-pocket expenses.

But the delays in helping stranded passengers, some of whom were left on trains in the Tunnel without power for several hours, have prompted calls for the resignation of Eurostar CEO Richard Brown. Mr Brown is in any case due to take the post of non-executive Eurostar Chairman in the New Year.

He has already announced that Eurostar will now carry out an independent review into the crisis, but Transport Minister Sadiq Khan has ordered that the results be given to him and Eurostar shareholders, rather than just the Eurostar Board. 

Meanwhile, the French government is calling for a separate inquiry. French Transport Minister Dominique Bussereau described the long shutdown as "not acceptable". He said there would be an investigation into "what happened, how it happened and how to avoid such events in the future".

Back to News