This article is from the source 'bbc' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-kent-28194074
The article has changed 11 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
| Version 0 | Version 1 |
|---|---|
| Eurotunnel train stopped in Channel Tunnel by power fault | Eurotunnel train stopped in Channel Tunnel by power fault |
| (34 minutes later) | |
| A power fault has stopped a Eurotunnel train in the Channel Tunnel, causing hundreds of passengers to be evacuated from the train and causing long delays. | A power fault has stopped a Eurotunnel train in the Channel Tunnel, causing hundreds of passengers to be evacuated from the train and causing long delays. |
| The France-bound train stopped about a quarter of the way through the tunnel at about 07:30 BST. | The France-bound train stopped about a quarter of the way through the tunnel at about 07:30 BST. |
| The 382 passengers were led into the service tunnel and taken to the French terminal. | |
| Eurotunnel has said services were able to continue but queues were building up and delays were expected all day. | Eurotunnel has said services were able to continue but queues were building up and delays were expected all day. |
| Eurotunnel carries passengers in vehicles between Folkestone and Calais. | Eurotunnel carries passengers in vehicles between Folkestone and Calais. |
| 'Crashing noise' | |
| The company said a fault with the overhead power lines in the tunnel caused the problem. | |
| The driver brought the train to a stop and passengers were evacuated into the middle service tunnel, which runs between the two main tunnels and is designed to allow people to escape from halted trains. | |
| A train was brought from France along the other main tunnel and parked alongside the stopped train to allow passengers to board it and be carried to France without their cars. | |
| Passenger Richard Byrom said: "All of a sudden I heard this crashing noise, it didn't sound like the train itself had crashed but what became evident later on was that the power cables had got entangled or come down. | |
| "For about 20 minutes the train just stopped and we didn't know what had happened. | |
| "Eventually they said they are going to take us off the train because they couldn't move our train because it was trapped by the power cables or something like that." | |
| He said the passengers had to wait in the service tunnel for about half an hour before boarding the train that took them to France and he had been stuck in total for about four hours. | |
| 'Queues building up' | |
| A Eurotunnel spokesman said: "The evacuated passengers are now at the French terminal and are waiting for the affected train to arrive so they can get their cars. | |
| "We are advising people who don't need to travel today to travel on another day. | "We are advising people who don't need to travel today to travel on another day. |
| "There are queues building up and travellers should expect delays throughout the day." | "There are queues building up and travellers should expect delays throughout the day." |
| The firm continues to run services in the one unblocked tunnel but has stopped taking bookings for the day. It said there was a waiting time of approximately 60 minutes before check-in and five hours at the terminal. | |
| Eurostar, which operates passenger trains through the tunnel running between London and Paris and Brussels, said it had been forced to cancel four services and warned passengers on trains that were running to expect delays. | |
| Eurostar told customers: "If travel today is non-essential you can exchange your ticket, free of charge, to another available service within the next four months." | Eurostar told customers: "If travel today is non-essential you can exchange your ticket, free of charge, to another available service within the next four months." |