Passengers using the Channel Tunnel are still experiencing delays after it reopened following a lorry fire.
Services between London, Paris, Lille, Brussels and Disneyland Resort Paris resumed on Sunday morning but passengers have reported being held at the tunnels in both UK and France.
Eurostar trains started moving through the tunnel again about 11:30 GMT, but at a reduced speed and only one of the two tunnels is open.
At least 12,000 passengers were affected when the tunnel was closed for most of Saturday.
Eurostar said passengers should expect delays of up to two hours from when they board.
Eurotunnel, which operates car and lorry services, said there was a four-hour wait to board shuttles, and the tunnel affected by the fire would remain closed throughout Sunday.
Passenger Johnny Chatterton: "We were excited that we were finally going to make it, but now, who knows?"
The Channel Tunnel, also known as the Chunnel, is a rail tunnel which runs from Folkestone, Kent to Coquelles, Pas-de-Calais. At its lowest point it is 250 ft beneath the English Channel and, at 23.5 miles, has the longest undersea portion of any tunnel in the world. It was opened on 6 May 1994, with the first passenger service taking place on 14 November 1994. It recently celebrated its 20th birthday.
The tunnel carries high-speed Eurostar passenger trains, the Euroshuttel Tunnel for automobiles and other road vehicles—the largest such transport in the world—and international rail freight trains.
Channel Tunnel rail services resume after fire with delays
BBC News
18 January 2015
Passengers at St Pancras station in London have been told to expect delays on the Eurostar services to France
Passengers using the Channel Tunnel are still experiencing delays after it reopened following a lorry fire.
Services resumed on Sunday morning but passengers have reported being held at the tunnels in both UK and France.
Eurostar trains started moving through the tunnel again about 11:30 GMT, but at a reduced speed and only one of the two tunnels is open.
At least 12,000 passengers were affected when the tunnel was closed for most of Saturday.
Eurostar said passengers should expect delays of up to two hours from when they board.
Eurotunnel, which operates car and lorry services, said there was a four-hour wait to board shuttles, and the tunnel affected by the fire would remain closed throughout Sunday.
Passenger Johnny Chatterton: "We were excited that we were finally going to make it, but now, who knows?"
'So agitated'
Kim Notman, who is at the Eurotunnel terminal in Calais , told the BBC: "I was loaded on to the train at 09:30 GMT with my car and have now been stuck on the train for the last three hours.
"The doors to the train have now been opened because people were getting so agitated."
Similarly Eurostar passenger Professor Urfan Khaliq, who is on a train travelling from Paris to London, also faced delays upon entering the tunnel.
He told the BBC: "We've been here around, I guess, nearly three hours now. They've offered free cashew nuts and water to anyone who wants it. People are just sitting here really rather stoically and trying to get on. I do feel for the families who've got very young children."
No arrivals at London's St Pancras from Paris or Brussels are expected until after 13:00 GMT, Eurostar said.
Eurostar had advised passengers to check in as normal if they were already booked to travel on Sunday, and those who had been unable to travel on Saturday should not arrive at stations unless they had re-booked.
The Eurostar website is showing seats are still available for travel this weekend.
The departure boards for Eurostar trains at St Pancras station, London, warned passengers to expect delays
BBC News correspondent Andy Moore said an extra Eurostar train from London to Paris was being laid on, with 800 seats available, in an attempt to ease the queues.
Despite the company organising re-bookings, accommodation and refunds, it could be Monday before the backlog is cleared, he added.
Eurostar - which operates passenger services between Paris, Lille, London and Brussels - said 26 of its trains were cancelled on Saturday afternoon, affecting at least 12,000 passengers.
Eurotunnel's services started running again during the night after "residue smoke" was cleared from one of the tunnels.
The company added that it expected to operate a reduced Le Shuttle timetable, with two departures every two hours from both the UK and France. Its customers have been advised to check in as normal.
The fire broke out near the French side of the Channel Tunnel
Eurostar passengers tried to rebook or get refunds on their tickets
The high-speed Eurostar trains (shown above at London's St Pancras station) running between London, Paris, Brussels, Lille and Disneyland Resort Paris are still experiencing delays after lorry fire
The alarm was raised when two CO2 detectors were triggered at 11:25 GMT on Saturday at the French end of the north tunnel.
Eurotunnel said a load on a lorry on board one of its trains, en route from the UK to France, had been "smouldering".
John Keefe, Eurotunnel's public affairs director, said: "We are in the process of moving the train from the incident site. That will enable us to get our technicians in to clean up and conduct any repairs that'll be necessary."
Lines of lorries
Eurotunnel said passengers were safely evacuated from trains in the tunnel, and the fire "was quickly brought under control" by French emergency services.
Firefighters examined the site and a Eurotunnel spokesman said it did not look like there was any significant damage.
During the day, at St Pancras station and in Paris, there were long queues of passengers after services were cancelled. At Folkestone, lines of lorries built up near the Eurotunnel entrance.
Eurotunnel had anticipated resuming services on Saturday night through its south tunnel, which was unaffected by the fire.
But in a tweet the company said it was "taking slightly longer than anticipated to recommence services, we need to be sure any residue smoke cleared completely before we do so".
Empty trains were sent through the tunnel to ensure it was clear and customers were offered transfers to ferries until the service recommenced, Eurotunnel said.
Eurostar's customer care number is 03432 186 186, or +44 1777 777 878 for people outside the UK.
Eurotunnel's information line is +44 8444 63 00 00.
BBC News - Channel Tunnel rail services resume after fire with delays
Services between London, Paris, Lille, Brussels and Disneyland Resort Paris resumed on Sunday morning but passengers have reported being held at the tunnels in both UK and France.
Eurostar trains started moving through the tunnel again about 11:30 GMT, but at a reduced speed and only one of the two tunnels is open.
At least 12,000 passengers were affected when the tunnel was closed for most of Saturday.
Eurostar said passengers should expect delays of up to two hours from when they board.
Eurotunnel, which operates car and lorry services, said there was a four-hour wait to board shuttles, and the tunnel affected by the fire would remain closed throughout Sunday.
Passenger Johnny Chatterton: "We were excited that we were finally going to make it, but now, who knows?"
The Channel Tunnel, also known as the Chunnel, is a rail tunnel which runs from Folkestone, Kent to Coquelles, Pas-de-Calais. At its lowest point it is 250 ft beneath the English Channel and, at 23.5 miles, has the longest undersea portion of any tunnel in the world. It was opened on 6 May 1994, with the first passenger service taking place on 14 November 1994. It recently celebrated its 20th birthday.
The tunnel carries high-speed Eurostar passenger trains, the Euroshuttel Tunnel for automobiles and other road vehicles—the largest such transport in the world—and international rail freight trains.
Channel Tunnel rail services resume after fire with delays
BBC News
18 January 2015
Passengers at St Pancras station in London have been told to expect delays on the Eurostar services to France
Passengers using the Channel Tunnel are still experiencing delays after it reopened following a lorry fire.
Services resumed on Sunday morning but passengers have reported being held at the tunnels in both UK and France.
Eurostar trains started moving through the tunnel again about 11:30 GMT, but at a reduced speed and only one of the two tunnels is open.
At least 12,000 passengers were affected when the tunnel was closed for most of Saturday.
Eurostar said passengers should expect delays of up to two hours from when they board.
Eurotunnel, which operates car and lorry services, said there was a four-hour wait to board shuttles, and the tunnel affected by the fire would remain closed throughout Sunday.
Passenger Johnny Chatterton: "We were excited that we were finally going to make it, but now, who knows?"
'So agitated'
Kim Notman, who is at the Eurotunnel terminal in Calais , told the BBC: "I was loaded on to the train at 09:30 GMT with my car and have now been stuck on the train for the last three hours.
"The doors to the train have now been opened because people were getting so agitated."
Similarly Eurostar passenger Professor Urfan Khaliq, who is on a train travelling from Paris to London, also faced delays upon entering the tunnel.
He told the BBC: "We've been here around, I guess, nearly three hours now. They've offered free cashew nuts and water to anyone who wants it. People are just sitting here really rather stoically and trying to get on. I do feel for the families who've got very young children."
No arrivals at London's St Pancras from Paris or Brussels are expected until after 13:00 GMT, Eurostar said.
Eurostar had advised passengers to check in as normal if they were already booked to travel on Sunday, and those who had been unable to travel on Saturday should not arrive at stations unless they had re-booked.
The Eurostar website is showing seats are still available for travel this weekend.
The departure boards for Eurostar trains at St Pancras station, London, warned passengers to expect delays
BBC News correspondent Andy Moore said an extra Eurostar train from London to Paris was being laid on, with 800 seats available, in an attempt to ease the queues.
Despite the company organising re-bookings, accommodation and refunds, it could be Monday before the backlog is cleared, he added.
Eurostar - which operates passenger services between Paris, Lille, London and Brussels - said 26 of its trains were cancelled on Saturday afternoon, affecting at least 12,000 passengers.
Eurotunnel's services started running again during the night after "residue smoke" was cleared from one of the tunnels.
The company added that it expected to operate a reduced Le Shuttle timetable, with two departures every two hours from both the UK and France. Its customers have been advised to check in as normal.
The fire broke out near the French side of the Channel Tunnel
Eurostar passengers tried to rebook or get refunds on their tickets
The high-speed Eurostar trains (shown above at London's St Pancras station) running between London, Paris, Brussels, Lille and Disneyland Resort Paris are still experiencing delays after lorry fire
The alarm was raised when two CO2 detectors were triggered at 11:25 GMT on Saturday at the French end of the north tunnel.
Eurotunnel said a load on a lorry on board one of its trains, en route from the UK to France, had been "smouldering".
John Keefe, Eurotunnel's public affairs director, said: "We are in the process of moving the train from the incident site. That will enable us to get our technicians in to clean up and conduct any repairs that'll be necessary."
Lines of lorries
Eurotunnel said passengers were safely evacuated from trains in the tunnel, and the fire "was quickly brought under control" by French emergency services.
Firefighters examined the site and a Eurotunnel spokesman said it did not look like there was any significant damage.
During the day, at St Pancras station and in Paris, there were long queues of passengers after services were cancelled. At Folkestone, lines of lorries built up near the Eurotunnel entrance.
Eurotunnel had anticipated resuming services on Saturday night through its south tunnel, which was unaffected by the fire.
But in a tweet the company said it was "taking slightly longer than anticipated to recommence services, we need to be sure any residue smoke cleared completely before we do so".
Empty trains were sent through the tunnel to ensure it was clear and customers were offered transfers to ferries until the service recommenced, Eurotunnel said.
Eurostar's customer care number is 03432 186 186, or +44 1777 777 878 for people outside the UK.
Eurotunnel's information line is +44 8444 63 00 00.
BBC News - Channel Tunnel rail services resume after fire with delays
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