Eurotunnel has confirmed that a “last-minute strike” by French workers which halted trains during the day on Thursday is over and there will be a progressive return to services.
But while drive-on LeShuttle trains were set to resume during the evening, Eurostar said passenger services would restart on Friday. Currently, all Eurostar trains to and from London are cancelled.
The disruption emerged as people travel for Christmas over the next few days. Eurotunnel said it had reached an agreement with trade unions and apologised for disruption to LeShuttle, which transports vehicles through the Channel Tunnel.
“Eurotunnel welcomes this agreement and reiterates its apologies to all LeShuttle customers as well as Eurostar passengers and rail freight operators whose traffic has been impacted by this strike,” Eurotunnel said in a statement.
It added it would not be selling new tickets for travel on Friday. Instead, it will focus on those who have already have tickets. Eurostar said it would resume a normal timetable out of London, Paris and Brussels on Friday.
It will put on two extra trains each day until Christmas Day to help deal with passengers who could not travel on Thursday. Affected customers have also been offered refunds, it added.
French transport minister Clement Beaune tweeted: “Lifting of the blockade of the Channel Tunnel. Traffic can resume #Eurostar #Getlink
“I salute the spirit of responsibility of all those involved.” Some 30 Eurostar trains scheduled in London, Paris and Brussels were cancelled on Thursday, Eurostar said. Separately, there are no trains from London Euston station on Thursday because of damaged overhead power cables between Milton Keynes and Watford Junction.
As a result, Euston station is currently closed to incoming passengers. Network Rail engineers are currently assessing the damage to the cables using drones.
Bonuses row
Services through the Channel Tunnel were suspended after a range of Eurotunnel staff – from those who run the trains to those who manage and maintain the infrastructure – walked out at short notice.
Eurostar, which runs high-speed passenger trains on the route, said earlier: “Customers affected will receive direct communication about their journey and can exchange their tickets free of charge or claim a refund.
“We are closely monitoring the situation as it evolves, and any further updates will be communicated as soon as possible.” Eurotunnel said earlier it was putting people on ferries while services were suspended, due to an arrangement with ferry companies.
Unions called the strike at 11:00 GMT before ending it in the evening. Under French union law, they could run the strike for as long as they wanted to. Staff were offered discretionary bonus of a €1,000 (£867) bonus, but the unions' request is for three times that much.
It is not known at this time what deal the union accepted.
‘No communications'
Chris Tirifahy-McCabe and his wife were planning to travel to Brussels by Eurostar to visit family. He's currently stuck at St Pancras and is trying to make alternative travel arrangements, along with hundreds of others.
“All Eurostar services have been suspended until further notice,” he told the BBC. “There are around 500 people stuck past security waiting.”
“It's an unexpected strike and that's all they're saying. There's been no real communications”
“No one knows whether to leave or stay,” he added.
Transport networks are gearing up for one of the busiest periods of the year, with many travelling to visit family and friends. Travel in some parts of the UK has already been disrupted by strong winds from Storm Pia.
British Airways says it had to adjust its flight schedule on Thursday as a result of air traffic control restrictions put in place in response to the storm. Rail operator TransPennine Express issued “do not travel” advice to customers for its services to and from Edinburgh before 15:00.
— CutC by bbc.com
