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| Eurotunnel car services disrupted | |
| (about 2 hours later) | |
| Eurotunnel has closed its shuttle car service to new arrivals, saying its terminal is at "saturation point". | Eurotunnel has closed its shuttle car service to new arrivals, saying its terminal is at "saturation point". |
| One passenger told the BBC he was among about 1,000 people stuck in Folkestone. | One passenger told the BBC he was among about 1,000 people stuck in Folkestone. |
| Day trip bookings are not being honoured, with Eurotunnel citing a "massive backlog" due to three days of problems on the Eurostar. | Day trip bookings are not being honoured, with Eurotunnel citing a "massive backlog" due to three days of problems on the Eurostar. |
| Meanwhile Eurostar has announced it hopes to resume a limited service on Tuesday, saying: "We will do our best to get everybody home by Christmas." | Meanwhile Eurostar has announced it hopes to resume a limited service on Tuesday, saying: "We will do our best to get everybody home by Christmas." |
| Eurostar services were suspended on Monday for a third day, as the company launched an immediate review into train breakdowns which have stranded and delayed tens of thousands of passengers since Friday. | Eurostar services were suspended on Monday for a third day, as the company launched an immediate review into train breakdowns which have stranded and delayed tens of thousands of passengers since Friday. |
| EUROTUNNEL ADVICE Day-trips bookings will not be honoured and day-trip customers are advised not to travel To rebook travel to an alternative date, call the Eurotunnel contact centre on 08443 35 35 35 or amend your booking online Customers without a reservation are advised not to make their way to Eurotunnel as they will not be able to purchase a ticketPre-booked customers are advised to call the 24-hour automated customer information line 08444 63 00 00 for the latest travel information Stranded travellers' bid for home | |
| The full timetable details for Tuesday would be subject to further tests on modified trains on Monday afternoon, said Eurostar chief executive Richard Brown. | The full timetable details for Tuesday would be subject to further tests on modified trains on Monday afternoon, said Eurostar chief executive Richard Brown. |
| But he said the firm hoped to run two-thirds of the normal service - amounting to about 26,000 seats, with more services planned on Wednesday and Thursday. | But he said the firm hoped to run two-thirds of the normal service - amounting to about 26,000 seats, with more services planned on Wednesday and Thursday. |
| Mr Brown predicted conditions would be "very very busy", but Eurostar would be running as many trains as it could. | Mr Brown predicted conditions would be "very very busy", but Eurostar would be running as many trains as it could. |
| He said: "We have been working hard since Friday to provide alternative travel arrangements where we can but problems on roads in UK and France, and at airports. | |
| "Our ability to provide alternative transport has been limited. At the moment we don't know the exact numbers of people still to travel because some with have made their own plans or decided not to travel. | |
| "It's clearly not a good experience at all for any of our passengers." | |
| The company has asked passengers who had planned to travel over the next few days to change their bookings if possible. | The company has asked passengers who had planned to travel over the next few days to change their bookings if possible. |
| Passengers in Brussels on Eurostar delays | |
| Their priority was to get displaced people back home, it said. | Their priority was to get displaced people back home, it said. |
| Snow shields | Snow shields |
| Speaking about the Eurotunnel, French Transport Minister Dominique Bussereau said that "to have traffic blocked for several days in a row, that is not acceptable". | |
| He also said his ministry would launch a probe into "what happened, how it happened and how to avoid such events in the future". Meanwhile Eurotunnel - which carries vehicles under the Channel - said its terminal at Folkestone was at "saturation point". | |
| It said many passengers had turned up on Monday, after postponing their travel plans over the weekend due to bad weather. | It said many passengers had turned up on Monday, after postponing their travel plans over the weekend due to bad weather. |
| BBC transport correspondent Tom Symonds said the company was sending away passengers who had booked day trip tickets on its Le Shuttle car service. | BBC transport correspondent Tom Symonds said the company was sending away passengers who had booked day trip tickets on its Le Shuttle car service. |
| EUROSTAR ADVICE If your journey is not essential, do not travelA full refund will be offered to those whose journeys have been affectedPassengers whose journeys were severely disrupted on Friday or Saturday will also be given £150 compensation, out-of-pocket expenses, and a free return ticketThose who had bookings for Saturday, Sunday or Monday can claim "reasonable" out-of-pocket expenses such as hotel, transport and meal costsAll updates will be posted on the Eurostar website and given out to news outlets Are you a Eurostar passenger? | |
| And passengers without bookings were being advised not to turn up because they would not be able to buy a ticket. | And passengers without bookings were being advised not to turn up because they would not be able to buy a ticket. |
| Following the weekend's chaos, Eurostar trains - which serve rail passengers travelling from London St Pancras to France and Belgium - have been further modified to cope with cold weather. | Following the weekend's chaos, Eurostar trains - which serve rail passengers travelling from London St Pancras to France and Belgium - have been further modified to cope with cold weather. |
| More than 55,000 travellers have had their journeys cancelled after six trains broke down in the tunnel on Friday and Saturday. | More than 55,000 travellers have had their journeys cancelled after six trains broke down in the tunnel on Friday and Saturday. |
| On Sunday Eurostar transported 500 of the most "vulnerable" waiting passengers from the UK to France and Belgium by train, ferry and coach. | |
| Eurostar said it believed it had identified the problem with its trains, and had made adjustments to try to stop water getting into the electrical systems. | Eurostar said it believed it had identified the problem with its trains, and had made adjustments to try to stop water getting into the electrical systems. |
| It said snow shields used to protect the electrics had worked for the 15 years it has been running services through the tunnel. | It said snow shields used to protect the electrics had worked for the 15 years it has been running services through the tunnel. |
| However, the recent cold snap in France had been "unprecedented" in their experience, the company said. | However, the recent cold snap in France had been "unprecedented" in their experience, the company said. |
| British Airways said it was operating larger aircraft on many flights between London Heathrow and Paris on Monday, and Flybe said it was also increasing capacity to help ease the situation. | |
| But Easyjet said French aviation authorities had imposed flight restrictions on the airline at Charles de Gaulle airport in Paris, leading to delays and cancellations. | |
| Have you been affected by the closure of the tunnel? Send us your comments. | Have you been affected by the closure of the tunnel? Send us your comments. |
| A selection of your comments may be published, displaying your name and location unless you state otherwise in the box below. | A selection of your comments may be published, displaying your name and location unless you state otherwise in the box below. |
| The BBC may edit your comments and not all emails will be published. Your comments may be published on any BBC media worldwide. Terms & Conditions | The BBC may edit your comments and not all emails will be published. Your comments may be published on any BBC media worldwide. Terms & Conditions |