Eurostar is suspending train services for a third day to look into a weekend breakdown of trains that trapped about 2,500 passengers in the Anglo-French Channel Tunnel, while France will order a public investigation.
Eurostar, owned by the French and Belgian state railway firms and the UK, blamed bad weather for the problem that disrupted Christmas travel for thousands more passengers. French officials doubted it was the sole reason for the travel chaos.
"We can't believe that Eurostar trains can't run for three days because of snow, so there must be a technical problem," French transport minister Dominique Bussereau said today during a visit to China with Prime Minister Francois Fillon.
Eurostar announced in a statement that it was holding "an independent review into the problems it has experienced over recent days." It has said that moving from the cold into the warmer tunnel caused condensation that affected electrical systems.
Christopher Garnett, who has served as Chief Executive of GNER railways and commercial director of Channel Tunnel operator Eurotunnel, will lead the review.
Shares in Eurotunnel at one stage dropped 3 per cent early today, making the stock among the top losers on France's SBF120 index. "These events might bring one-time charges, but more importantly, the real problem here is Eurotunnel's image," one Paris-based trader said.
Passengers were stuck on the trains for up to 16 hours in freezing temperatures in the night from Friday to Saturday, on a route that usually takes about two hours from London to Paris. Some complained that they were left with no power, air conditioning, food or water, and received little or no information during their ordeal.
"We demand that the reasons behind the break-down are found," Mr Bussereau said, adding that measures must be taken so this kind of problem would not occur in the future.
He said Eurostar train manufacturer Alstom was co-operating in trying to solve the issue, while Eurostar's commercial director Nick Mercer said the company was working on solving the problem.
"We have made some technical modifications on the trains last night that we believe will actually solve the problem," Mr Mercer told the BBC. "We are going to be running three test services today and on the assumption that those tests work successfully we would hope to be able to resume service tomorrow.”
Eurostar is modifying its trains to cope with more snow expected in northern France, improving the snow screens and snow shields on the locomotives. Given the backlog of people whose journeys have been cancelled, the company has warned it will not be able to carry all the passengers due to travel over the next few days.
Eurostar carries about 40,000 people a day between England and continental Europe.
Reuters