18/09/2008 06:24:00
The Channel Tunnel has re-opened for restricted service to passenger trains, after last week's blaze forced its closure. However, Eurostar warns that there are still weeks of transport disruptions to come.
An information board at the Eurostar departures terminal warned passengers that there could be longer queues, extended waiting times and prolonged journey times, despite efforts to get services back on track. The company has urged people to travel only if their journey is essential.
One spokesperson told the Times Online: "Eurostar is operating a temporary timetable and expects to run 12 trains each way between London and Paris, six trains each way between London and Brussels and the daily service each way between London and Disneyland Resort Paris. Customers should turn up at the normal time for their scheduled service and they will be accommodated on the first available train."
However, passengers wishing to take their cars through the tunnel will still have to wait for the go-ahead. Eurotunnel advised such passengers: "We are giving priority to the truck shuttles and Eurostar passengers. At the moment we don't know when the car shuttles will start again."
French authorities are still investigating the cause of the blaze last week, which started on a Folkestone to Calais train just seven miles from the French border. The tunnel's closure caused massive delays on both sides of the Channel, with passengers and lorries backed up for up to eight hours in Dover and Calais.
Various coach operators and airlines have announced that they will be upping their services over the weekend to meet the anticipated increase in demand for transport due to the tunnel's closure. Eurostar has promised to refund all 60,000 weekend tickets.