Dozens of people were stranded on Tuesday in the English Channel when a train broke down en route between France and the UK.
Le Shuttle was brought to a controlled stop for inspection. As a preventive measure, for the safety and comfort of the passengers, they were transferred to another train, through a service tunnel (which is used for these situations)”, reported the spokesman for the railway company.
The company published in twitter the occurrence of the accident, advising the passengers who wished to travel during the night who only went to the departure dock during the morning of this Wednesday.
Attention to customers traveling from Calais to Folkestone.
Due to the failure of the previous train, we recommend that you do not travel to the terminal tonight.
Please arrive tomorrow after 6 am.
Sorry for the delay. pic.twitter.com/SE13NDWmd3
— Eurotunnel Le Shuttle (@LeShuttle) August 23, 2022
The Eurotunnel Shuttle is a train that transports people and cars between Coquelles, France, and Cheriton, UK. With about six trips per hour, it makes this journey, with a duration of 35 minutes, 365 days a year.
Testimonies collected at the scene revealed the moments lived by the passengers during the time they were imprisoned: “It seemed like a incident that only happens in the movies. We left the tunnel without knowing what had happened. We were ‘underwater’ in a long line”, revealed Sarah Fellows, one of the travellers.
Euronews confirmed that the train had broken down during the journey, and that the passengers were being transferred to another means of transport at the time. The British BBC reported that the incident was due to the deactivation of the train’s alarms, a situation that should be investigated. A Eurotunnel spokesman said this was an unusual but not unique situation.
At the time, 100 vehicles were on board. The passengers were transferred at 8:22 p.m. (7:22 p.m. Lisbon time) “in accordance with security procedures and as a measure of comfort,” Le Shuttle said. The BBC says she was contacted by a passenger at 5.45pm, meaning people stayed held for about three hours.
During the morning of this Wednesday, the transport service reported that the anomaly was resolved and that train traffic had resumed.
Good morning. After yesterday’s incident, we are now back to normal services. You can stay up to date with the latest travel information here: https://t.co/OirFC3YsJq
— Eurotunnel Le Shuttle (@LeShuttle) August 24, 2022
Source: Observadora