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Channel Tunnel services still delayed after power supply problems Channel Tunnel fully reopens after power fault but delays continue
(about 2 hours later)
Trains through the Channel Tunnel have been hit by delays and cancellations again, after major disruption caused by an electrical supply fault on Monday. The Channel Tunnel has reopened fully after electrical supply problems but delays to rail services are continuing.
Four Eurostar trains have been cancelled and while other services are running, many have arrived late. There was major disruption on Monday when an overhead power cable was damaged and one tunnel remained closed until just after midday on Tuesday.
On Monday, hundreds of passengers were evacuated from a Le Shuttle train to France that stopped because of a fault with overhead lines in the tunnel. Services are now running through both the main tunnels but there are delays of up to an hour on the Eurostar, and four trains were cancelled earlier.
There is a waiting time of about an hour for cars using Le Shuttle.
A Le Shuttle train, carrying 382 passengers in their cars, was the first train to be affected by the disruption, coming to a stop in the tunnel on Monday morning when the fault with overhead lines in the tunnel occurred.
Cables were damaged for several hundred metres and had to be replaced.Cables were damaged for several hundred metres and had to be replaced.
On Tuesday Eurostar has had to cancel two trains to the continent and two running to London, while other services have been delayed by up to an hour. Repairs were carried out throughout the night and Eurotunnel had hoped to complete the work by the morning and have services running normally on Tuesday.
Passengers wanting to use Le Shuttle services - which carry people in cars from Folkestone to Coquelles, near Calais - have faced waiting times at the Kent terminal of up to three hours. But the work continued into the morning and it was only at 12:12 BST that the affected tunnel was reopened.
On Monday, the train affected by the loss of power, the 06:20 BST train from Folkestone, eventually reached France at 17:15 BST when the passengers, who had been taken to the French terminal after being led off the train, were reunited with their cars. Eurostar runs more than 20 services in each direction through the tunnel on a normal week day.
It cancelled the 07:31 London to Paris train; the 08:52 Brussels to London; the 08:58 London to Brussels and the 11:43 Paris to London service, while other journeys have been delayed by up to an hour.
Passengers wanting to use Le Shuttle services - which carry people in vehicles from Folkestone to Coquelles, near Calais - have faced waiting times at the Kent terminal of up to three hours, though a spokesman said that was down to an hour by the afternoon. On Monday, the waiting time was up to six hours.
The train affected by the loss of power on Monday, the 06:20 BST train from Folkestone, eventually reached France at 17:15 BST when the passengers, who had been taken to the French terminal after being led off the train, were reunited with their cars.
Eurotunnel has said it still managed to carry 4,860 passenger vehicles and 2,284 trucks through the tunnel on Monday, despite the problems. Fifty-one Eurostars and six freight trains also went through the tunnel.
Under normal circumstances trains run through two main tunnels - one operating from France to England and one from England to France.Under normal circumstances trains run through two main tunnels - one operating from France to England and one from England to France.
But when one tunnel is blocked, the other is used for trains in both directions, with a change of direction about every 90 minutes.But when one tunnel is blocked, the other is used for trains in both directions, with a change of direction about every 90 minutes.
Monday's problem caused long delays and cancellations of Eurostar passenger trains between London St Pancras and Paris and Brussels and Le Shuttle vehicle trains. On Monday there were also lengthy traffic queues in Dover as passengers tried to reach ferries.
There were also lengthy traffic queues in Dover as passengers tried to reach ferries.
Tour de France
Eurostar runs more than 20 services in each direction through the tunnel on a normal week day.
The four cancelled Eurostar services were the 07:31 London to Paris; the 08:52 Brussels to London; the 08:58 London to Brussels and the 11:43 Paris to London service.
Eurotunnel said on Tuesday the extent of the previous day's disruption was unlikely to be repeated because traffic levels were expected to be far lower.
Monday's problems were exacerbated by additional traffic returning from the Le Mans classic car weekend in the morning and by many personnel associated with the Tour de France travelling back to France in the late afternoon and evening.
Cyclists competing in the Tour de France flew to France on Monday evening on four chartered planes, after finishing the third stage in London.
P&O Ferries transported the Tour's entourage, with about 1,100 vehicles passing through the Port of Dover.