Power supply failure halts Channel Tunnel trains

LONDON: Channel Tunnel train services were delayed for more than an hour due to a power supply failure on Thursday.

Eurotunnel, which owns the tunnel, said none of its car-carrying trains could operate until the fault at the Folkestone terminal was fixed.

Customers reported being stuck on stationary trains for 80 minutes in “boiling hot” conditions. The problem emerged shortly after noon on Thursday and was resolved at 1.30pm.

Eurotunnel said in a statement: “No trains were present in the tunnel during this period and our staff have been doing their utmost to take care of customers on both terminals by distributing water and food. “Our technicians have now resolved the issue and traffic has now resumed.”

Passenger train-operator Eurostar said its services were held outside the tunnel during the power supply issue. After the issue was fixed, it warned customers to expect “minor delays” while services returned to normal. Trains to London St Pancras from Paris and Brussels were delayed by around 50 minutes.