Passengers Stranded in Eurostar Breakdown Debacle

Tens of thousands of passengers have been stranded or delayed due to Eurostar train breakdowns over the recent wintery weekend. Siz broken down Eurostar trains have resulted in as many as 55,000 travellers experiencing disruption.

It has been reported that although the snow shields used to protect train electrics for 15 years had been effective in the past, the unusually acute weather conditions in Northern France had caused severe problems. Eurostar have identified the flaw that has caused their trains to fail and they are taking steps to fix the issue.

It is reported that as many as 2000 passengers were trapped in the Channel tunnel on broken down trains. Some passengers have been trapped in their trains in the channel tunnel for as long as 16 hours. Many had no food, no water and no information from the train operators telling them what was happening. Some people even abandoned their trains and walked through the dark tunnel which extends for 24 miles under the sea.

Many passengers have expressed dismay at the way in which Eurostar have managed the issues and failed to communicate with travellers. There have been reports of some passengers suffering panic attacks and some experiencing claustrophobia in the confined tunnel. Many have complained about the lack of information, food, water and support.

As many as 31,000 people were stranded on Saturday and a further 27,000 on Sunday.

Freezing weather conditions have continued to disrupt travel in all parts of the British Isles with flight cancellations from many airports. Weather forecasters have warned of further travel disruption as more snow is forecast this week and into the Christmas holidays. The Scottish Police have advised travelers to stay at home unless their journey is absolutely essential.

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