A lorry fire in the Channel Tunnel on Saturday 17th January has been put out, and both Eurostar and EuroTunnel Shuttle services are expected to resume today.
Eurostar train at Paris Gare du Nord – Image Economy Class and Beyond.
The fire aboard a Eurotunnel Freight shuttle trains caused the tunnel to be closed at the French side of the tunnel. The fire has since been extinguished and time is being allowed to remove any residual smoke from the tunnel.
Backlogs are expected on Eurostar and Eurotunnel, with 26 services cancelled, with 30 minutes to 1 hour expected today on Eurostar due to one of the two tunnels open. Meanwhile Eurotunnel will be only be operating one train per hour in each direction.
Eurostar recommends that any passengers travelling today (18th January 2015) should turn up as-normal. Passengers with tickets for the 17th January will need to rebook via the Eurostar call centre for travel up to 120 days time. For those with a critical need to travel, Eurostar will attempt to put these passengers on services after 12:00GMT, but you’ll need to contact the Eurostar Call Centre from 08:00GMT.
The magic numbers are:
- Eurostar customer care number is 03432 186 186 (inside UK) +44 1777 777 878 (outside UK).
- Eurotunnel information line is +44 8444 63 00 00.
Suffice to say, the closure of the Channel Tunnel has caused major disruption, and if you’re crossing the Channel over the few days, it could be worth checking out if the service you’re on is operating or not.
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