One of the many passengers stuck in the underwater tunnel for five hours said the journey to the rescue train was “terrifying,” like something out of a disaster film.
The story was covered by a number of media outlets, including The Press Association and The Guardian.
A traveller claims that on Tuesday, about 10 minutes into the crossing from Calais to Folkestone, the lights went out and the train abruptly stopped on the Eurotunnel Le Shuttle service.
Eurostar claims that of the total length of the Channel Tunnel (32 miles), approximately 23 miles are submerged, making it the longest undersea tunnel in the world. The tunnel runs from Kent in the United Kingdom to Calais in France. It should take about 35 minutes to make the trip, according to Eurotunnel’s website.
One of the many passengers stuck in the underwater tunnel for five hours said the journey to the rescue train was “terrifying,” like something out of a disaster film.
The story was covered by a number of media outlets, including The Press Association and The Guardian.
A traveller claims that on Tuesday, about 10 minutes into the crossing from Calais to Folkestone, the lights went out and the train abruptly stopped on the Eurotunnel Le Shuttle service.
Eurostar claims that of the total length of the Channel Tunnel (32 miles), approximately 23 miles are submerged, making it the longest undersea tunnel in the world. The tunnel runs from Kent in the United Kingdom to Calais in France. It should take about 35 minutes to make the trip, according to Eurotunnel’s website.
At first, passengers were told there was an issue with the wheels, and they had to wait for about an hour and a half while the issue was investigated, as reported by The Guardian. They eventually made people get out of their cars and switch trains to get to Folkestone. Passengers reportedly had to walk through a separate service tunnel for around 10 minutes to get there.
Passengers, some carrying luggage, can be seen in videos posted online and sent to Sky News. The passengers are seen making their way through a dark concrete tunnel. Sarah Fellow, 37, reportedly told the Press Association that her experience in the service tunnel was “terrifying” and compared it to a scene from a disaster film, as reported by The BBC.
“You were aimlessly strolling into insanity, completely oblivious to your surroundings. In this long line, we had no choice but to remain submerged “Admittedly, a coworker. One woman was sobbing in the tunnel, and another was having a panic attack on her own.
The service train the passengers boarded reportedly had trouble getting going, causing them to have to wait longer than expected. One of the passengers claimed that they were delayed for about five hours.
An announcement was made Tuesday via Eurotunnel’s official Twitter account that a train had broken down in the tunnel and that customers were being transferred to a separate passenger shuttle through the service tunnel.
Le Shuttle claims that by 8:22 p.m. local time, all passengers had been moved.
On Tuesday, Le Shuttle instructed its customers to postpone their Wednesday morning terminal arrival until after 6 a.m. A spokesperson for Getlink, the company that runs the Le Shuttle service, said that an on-board alarm was to blame for the incident.
“The Shuttle, which had been transporting one hundred automobiles, was consequently detained for inspection. All of the passengers were safely transferred to another shuttle through the service tunnel, which was built for just this reason.” The spokesperson added that all services had returned to normal.
At first, passengers were told there was an issue with the wheels, and they had to wait for about an hour and a half while the issue was investigated, as reported by The Guardian. They eventually made people get out of their cars and switch trains to get to Folkestone. Passengers reportedly had to walk through a separate service tunnel for around 10 minutes to get there.
Passengers, some carrying luggage, can be seen in videos posted online and sent to Sky News. The passengers are seen making their way through a dark concrete tunnel. Sarah Fellow, 37, reportedly told the Press Association that her experience in the service tunnel was “terrifying” and compared it to a scene from a disaster film, as reported by The BBC.
“You were aimlessly strolling into insanity, completely oblivious to your surroundings. In this long line, we had no choice but to remain submerged “Admittedly, a coworker. One woman was sobbing in the tunnel, and another was having a panic attack on her own.
The service train the passengers boarded reportedly had trouble getting going, causing them to have to wait longer than expected. One of the passengers claimed that they were delayed for about five hours.
An announcement was made Tuesday via Eurotunnel’s official Twitter account that a train had broken down in the tunnel and that customers were being transferred to a separate passenger shuttle through the service tunnel.
Le Shuttle claims that by 8:22 p.m. local time, all passengers had been moved.
On Tuesday, Le Shuttle instructed its customers to postpone their Wednesday morning terminal arrival until after 6 a.m. A spokesperson for Getlink, the company that runs the Le Shuttle service, said that an on-board alarm was to blame for the incident.
“The Shuttle, which had been transporting one hundred automobiles, was consequently detained for inspection. All of the passengers were safely transferred to another shuttle through the service tunnel, which was built for just this reason.” The spokesperson added that all services had returned to normal.
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