Christmas Ruined by Eurostar
Tens of thousands of passengers have been stranded or delayed due to Eurostar train breakdowns over the recent wintery weekend. Six train break downs have resulted in 55,000 travellers having their journeys disrupted.
It has been reported that although the snow shields used to protect train electrics for 15 years had been effective in the past, the unusually acute weather conditions in Northern France had caused severe problems. Eurostar have identified the flaw that has caused their trains to fail and they are taking steps to fix the issue.
As many as 2000 passengers found themselves trapped in the Channel Tunnel on broken down trains. Some passengers have been trapped in their trains in the channel tunnel for as long as 16 hours. Many have reported a lack of information and no food and no water on the stranded trains. Some passengers even abandoned their trains and walked through the dark, cold tunnel which runs for 24 miles beneath the channel.
Although Eurostar have issued apologies and promised to pay refunds and compensation to travelers affected by the debacle many passengers are very unhappy with the way the situation has been managed. There have been reports of some passengers suffering panic attacks and some experiencing claustrophobia in the confined tunnel. Passengers have reported that there was no food, water and most importantly no up to date information from the train operator.
On Saturday as many as 31,000 ticket holders were forced to change their travel plans and on Sunday all services were cancelled resulting in a further 27,000 people being stranded.
The continuing bad weather has caused flights to be cancelled from many British airports. Wether forecasters have warned that even more snow is on its way and this will mean further travel disruption as people embark on their Christmas holidays. The Scottish Police have advised travelers to stay at home unless their journey is absolutely essential.
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