PARIS/LONDON, Jan 17 –Passengers are facing severe disruption after the Channel Tunnel was closed “until further notice” following a fire on a lorry. Eurostar says all its services today have been cancelled and trains are returning to their original stations.
Kent Police said the fire happened at the French end of the tunnel and is being dealt with by the French authorities. There were no reported injuries, a police spokesman said. The spokesman said the fire had led to the closure of both tunnels, and that there are currently no trains in either. The lorry is being recovered, he added.
“Rail passengers are advised to expect significant delays whilst the vehicle is being recovered and fumes are cleared from the tunnels,” the spokesman said. Alarms triggered
Eurostar, which operates train services through the tunnel between Paris, London and Brussels, said in a statement: “We are sorry but we are unable to run any further trains today because Eurotunnel has been closed due to smoke detected in the north tunnel.
“If you were planning to travel today, we advise you to postpone your journey and not to come to the station.” John O’Keefe, a spokesman for Eurotunnel which transports freight through the Channel Tunnel, said inspectors were sent into the tunnel after two smoke alarms had been triggered.
“The investigation into the two alarms is going on at the moment so as soon we know more we’ll let [everyone] know.” Eurotunnel also said that passengers on a Calais to Dover train were evacuated from the Channel Tunnel “without incident”, following the smoke alert.
Passenger Kristen Davis recently stepped off the Eurostar in London. She told BBC News: “We entered the tunnel and there was smoke all the way down. We were told it was because of technical difficulties with the train in front of us. “We weren’t told about [the smoke] by Eurostar.” She said she only realised what was causing the smoke when she accessed social media in London. There was no sense of panic or anxiety on her train, which arrived safely at St Pancras, she added.
