The Eurotunnel train carrying passengers from France to England was evacuated on Tuesday, but the passengers were left stranded for hours as reported by CNN.
Train breakdown
Eurotunnel tweeted late Tuesday UK time, “A train has broken down in the tunnel and we are in the process of transferring people to a separate passenger shuttle via the service tunnel, to return to our Folkestone terminal.” “We truly apologise for this inconvenience.”
Trains operated by Eurotunnel Le Shuttle ferry people and cargo via a tunnel connecting France and England.
According to the PA Media news agency, the incident included the 3.50 p.m. local time route from Calais, France, to Folkestone, England, which was transporting hundreds of passengers as well as several dogs.
Michael Harrison, a passenger, informed PA about the unsettling incident.
“When we arrived at the 3.50 pm crossing, the lights went out and the train stopped after about 10 minutes. We were informed that they needed to look into a problem with the wheels”, explained he.
“It took them about an hour and a half to look, and they obviously didn’t find anything. They restarted and continued their journey for another five minutes “, Harrison threw in. We waited for a few more hours before concluding they couldn’t see a problem and that the train needed to be evacuated to another train after it happened again.
Emergency evacuation
Harrison told PA that following the evacuation through the emergency connection tunnel and into the service tunnel, passengers had to walk for roughly 10 minutes before coming across another train.
Six hours after boarding, passengers finally arrived in the UK due to additional problems with the substitute train, he continued.
The trip from Folkestone to Calais on the Eurotunnel Le Shuttle typically takes 35 minutes.
“Several people were freaking out about being down in the service tunnel, it’s kind of a bizarre location,” a second passenger said to PA. We spent at least five hours stranded there.
Kate Scott, a fellow traveller, reported that the tunnel’s temperatures were a problem.
We had no idea what was going on, she continued, adding that it was hot and there was no air conditioning.
Catastrophic film
The service tunnel, according to Sarah Fellows, 37, “was horrifying.”
“It resembled a catastrophe film. Without knowing what was going on, you were simply marching into the abyss. All of us had to remain in this lengthy line below the sea”, she spoke.
Fellows said, “There was a woman crying in the tunnel, and another woman who was travelling alone was having a panic attack. They anticipated that extremely elderly individuals would travel a mile through the centre of a tunnel beneath the sea.”
When she was in a panic, Border Force informed them that the tunnel had only been evacuated once in the previous 17 years, not recently.
Normal services
Additionally, the problem had an impact on subsequent services.
Eurotunnel issued a separate tweet late Tuesday stating, “Due to the earlier train fault, we urge you not to travel to the terminal tonight.” Tomorrow, please arrive after 6 a.m.
The business announced that trains were once again running on Wednesday morning. Following yesterday’s event, it stated, “We are now operating normal services.”
Eurotunnel has been approached by CNN for additional comments on the event.
When the Channel Tunnel opened in May 1994, it transformed travel between the UK and mainland Europe by making the trip much faster than the corresponding ferry route.
Before British and French employees started breaking ground and digging in the same direction in 1988, the idea had been discussed for more than 180 years.
The 31.4-mile tunnel, 23.5 of which are underwater, was constructed over the course of six years by 13,000 employees, making it the longest of its kind in the world.
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Source: CNN
