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Channel Tunnel train services resume after fire Channel Tunnel: Cancellations and delays as services resume
(about 13 hours later)
Train services have resumed through the Channel Tunnel, after a fire caused it to be closed for most of Saturday. Eleven Eurostar trains have been cancelled on Sunday, amid continuing delays following Saturday's Channel Tunnel closure due to a lorry fire.
Eurotunnel said its vehicle and freight train services restarted from the UK at 02:45 GMT after "residue smoke" was cleared from one of the tunnels. Six Eurostar services from London were cancelled, as well as two from Paris and three from Brussels, after an unrelated power supply problem.
Passenger train operator Eurostar said services between London and mainland Europe would resume on Sunday morning. Rail services resumed on Sunday morning - but passengers have been warned there could be further delays on Monday.
But the company has warned of delays of between 30 and 60 minutes because only one tunnel will be open. About 12,000 passengers were affected when the tunnel was closed on Saturday.
Eurostar said a "full service" would run on Sunday for passengers who have "an existing reservation for this date". The fire was located in the route's north tunnel, which remained closed during Sunday.
People whose trains had been cancelled on Saturday should not arrive at stations on Sunday unless they have already re-booked, the company added. Train operator Eurostar said it planned to run a "full service" on Monday, but warned trains could be delayed by up to 30 minutes.
The Eurostar website is showing seats are still available for travel this weekend. It said Eurotunnel - which manages and operates the Channel Tunnel - was carrying out engineering works overnight and would put more sections of the north tunnel back into service on Monday.
Clearing backlog Meanwhile, Eurotunnel said the north tunnel was not anticipated to be back in full operation until Tuesday.
Eurostar - which operates passenger services between Paris, London and Brussels - said 26 of its trains were cancelled on Saturday afternoon. "We're optimistic, however, that we will regain use of part of this tunnel and will operate a more regular timetable than we have today," it said.
BBC News correspondent Andy Moore said hundreds of people were queuing at St Pancras, Eurostar's London terminus, on Sunday morning despite the advice not to travel to the station without rebooking. Fresh problems
He said an extra train from London to Paris was being laid on, with 800 seats available, in an attempt to ease the queues. Eurostar passenger trains had started moving through the tunnel again at about 11:30 GMT, but at a reduced speed as only the south tunnel was open.
Despite the company organising re-bookings, accommodation and refunds, it could be Monday before the backlog is cleared, he added. However, there were fresh problems when a power supply fault - unrelated to Saturday's lorry fire - meant the temporary closure again of the south tunnel.
Some 12-15,000 Eurostar passengers were affected by the cancellations. Eurostar cancelled the 14:04, 15:31, 17:04, 18:04, 18:31 and the 20:04 (all times GMT) departures from London, as well as the 16:43 and 18:43 trains from Paris, and the 15:56, 17:56 and 18:56 services from Brussels.
Eurotunnel said its trains from France began running again at 03:30 GMT. On Sunday evening, Eurotunnel - which operates car and lorry services - tweeted there was still a one-hour queue to check-in and a three-hour wait to board shuttles for France.
The company added that it expected to operate a reduced Le Shuttle timetable, with two departures every two hours from both the UK and France. Its customers have been advised to check in as normal. The delay for Eurotunnel passengers heading from France to the UK was four-and-a-half hours, with some customers waiting up to two hours to check in at Calais, Eurotunnel added.
Eurotunnel's services started running again in the early hours of Sunday morning after "residue smoke" was cleared from a tunnel.
The company said it had expected to operate a reduced Le Shuttle timetable, with two departures every two hours from both the UK and France.
'So agitated'
Kim Notman, who was at the Eurotunnel terminal in Calais, told the BBC: "I was loaded on to the train at 09:30 GMT with my car and have now been stuck on the train for the last three hours.
"The doors to the train have now been opened because people were getting so agitated."
Professor Urfan Khaliq, who was travelling from Paris to London, said: "We've been here around, I guess, nearly three hours now. They've offered free cashew nuts and water to anyone who wants it.
"People are just sitting here really rather stoically and trying to get on."
BBC News correspondent Andy Moore said an extra Eurostar train from London to Paris had been laid on, with 800 seats available, in an attempt to ease the queues.
Despite the company organising re-bookings, accommodation and refunds, it could be Monday before the backlog was cleared, he added.
Eurostar - which operates passenger services between Paris, London and Brussels - said 26 of its trains were cancelled on Saturday afternoon, affecting at least 12,000 passengers, following the fire.
The alarm was raised when two CO2 detectors were triggered at 11:25 GMT on Saturday at the French end of the north tunnel.The alarm was raised when two CO2 detectors were triggered at 11:25 GMT on Saturday at the French end of the north tunnel.
Eurotunnel said a load on a lorry on board one of its trains, en route from the UK to France, had been "smouldering".Eurotunnel said a load on a lorry on board one of its trains, en route from the UK to France, had been "smouldering".
Passengers were safely evacuated from trains in the tunnel, and the fire "was quickly brought under control" by French emergency services, the company said. Eurotunnel said passengers had been safely evacuated from trains in the tunnel, and the fire "was quickly brought under control" by French emergency services.
Firefighters examined the site but a Eurotunnel spokesman said it did not look like there was any significant damage. Firefighters examined the site and a Eurotunnel spokesman said it did not look like there was any significant damage.
During the day however, at St Pancras station and in Paris, there were long queues of passengers after services were cancelled following the fire. At Folkestone, lines of lorries built up near the Eurotunnel entrance. At St Pancras station and in Paris there were long queues of passengers after services were cancelled. At Folkestone, lines of lorries built up near the Eurotunnel entrance.
Eurotunnel had anticipated resuming services on Saturday night through its south tunnel, which was unaffected by the fire.
But in a tweet shortly before midnight, the company said it was "taking slightly longer than anticipated to recommence services, we need to be sure any residue smoke cleared completely before we do so".
Empty trains were sent through the tunnel to ensure it was clear and customers were offered transfers to ferries until the service recommenced, Eurotunnel said.
Eurostar said availability on trains was limited on Sunday for those wanting to rebook, but passengers who needed to travel urgently should contact its customer services, which would try to put them on services departing after 12:00 GMT.
Eurostar's customer care number is 03432 186 186, or +44 1777 777 878 for people outside the UK.Eurostar's customer care number is 03432 186 186, or +44 1777 777 878 for people outside the UK.
Eurotunnel's information line is +44 8444 63 00 00.Eurotunnel's information line is +44 8444 63 00 00.
Were you due to travel by Eurostar this weekend? Has your journey been disrupted? You can email haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk with your experience.Were you due to travel by Eurostar this weekend? Has your journey been disrupted? You can email haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk with your experience.
Please include a telephone number if you are willing to be contacted by a BBC journalist.Please include a telephone number if you are willing to be contacted by a BBC journalist.
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