Eurostar suspends all trains to and from London ‘until further notice’
A train coming from London leaves the Northbound Channel tunnel in Calais, northern France. (AP Photo/ File)Eurostar, which operates trains through the Channel Tunnel, on Tuesday said that all train services to and from London have been suspended due to overhead power supply issues and a stuck train which interrupted the rail traffic that flows through the undersea tunnel.
In a statement, Eurostar said, “Eurostar services to and from London are suspended until further notice due to overhead power supply issues in the Channel Tunnel, followed by a failed LeShuttle train.”
LeShuttle transports vehicle traffic by rail through the tunnel from the French port of Calais to the UK port of Folkestone. Eurostar operates high-speed trains from London to Paris, Brussels, Amsterdam and Disneyland Paris.
A queue of cars and lorries formed at Folkestone where LeShuttle trains have been blocked. The operation has conveyed the information to passengers to expect “severe delays,” The Guardian reported. During the Christmas season, Channel tunnel trains carry thousands of passengers and vehicles on a daily basis.
A notice posted on Eurostar’s website stated, “Due to a problem with the overhead power supply in the Channel tunnel and a subsequent failed LeShuttle train, we strongly advise all our passengers to postpone their journey to a different date. Please don’t come to the station unless you already have a ticket to travel.”
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The tunnel infrastructure and the LeShuttle service is operated by Getlink which sad that the repairs to the power supply were underway and the traffic would gradually resume by 2pm GMT. The disruption in Eurostar in the Channel Tunnel has affected one of the Europe’s busiest international rail corridors during the New Year travel season.