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‘Delays to persist’, says Eurostar as Channel tunnel gets hit by power outage ahead of new year
As new year approaches, a major power outage and stuck train disrupted rail services in the Channel Tunnel, affecting travel between the UK and Europe.
As the world nears the new year eve, people have embraced the holiday season with plans spanning from parties to vacations. The new year season however did not come easy for many Europeans as a major power outage and a stuck train interrupted rail services through the undersea Channel Tunnel connecting the United Kingdom and continental Europe on Tuesday.
Eurostar, a railway service that runs passenger trains connecting leading European destinations like London and Paris among others on Tuesday blamed overhead power supply issues in the Channel Tunnel. The outage made way to a failure aboard a train which is operated by LeShuttle, that transports vehicles and their passengers between the ports of Calais, France, and Folkestone, England, reported news agency AP.
The operator of Channel Tunnel, Eurotunnel said that the power supply issues began overnight on Monday and had since started impacting passenger and vehicle travel by rail in both directions.
The approximately 50-kilometer-long tunnel with most of it being under the sea revolutionized the UK-Europe train travel since its inauguration in 1994. Train services however have faced vulnerabilities lately as it is the only fixed cross-English Channel rail link between UK and Europe.
What now?
Later on Tuesday, Eurostar said that the tunnel was partially reopening but with only one of its two train lines, allowing Eurostar services to resume in the evening. It added that delays and longer journey times would persist and advised passengers to rebook their journeys on other days.
Frustrated passengers, unhappy year-ends
Paris' Gare du Nord station saw crowds of frustrated passengers who could not help but look for alternative travel options to their holiday destinations. People expressed distress, and some even shed tears as they had to cancel their much awaited plans and lose their money in the process.
A passenger aboard the LeShuttle explained how about an hour after he boarded the train, they were told that it is going to stop because of a braking issue, further adding that there was no more clear information on the same.
