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Trains resumed running in both directions through the Channel Tunnel between continental Europe and Britain on Wednesday, but problems remained after a day of disruption to travel caused by power outages and train breakdowns.
Tunnel operator Eurotunnel said the 50km-long undersea link was back to “full capacity” after an internal power outage was repaired on Tuesday night.
The brief statement did not elaborate on the cause of the outage.
But Eurostar, which operates passenger trains through the tunnel, warned that delays and cancellations could continue due to the “knock-on effect” of Tuesday’s severe disruption.
The company’s website said trains were delayed in both directions between London and Paris, London and Brussels, and London and Amsterdam on Wednesday, with some cancellations occurring early in the morning.
The multi-hour suspension of cross-Channel train services on Tuesday, followed by a wave of cancellations, derailed travelers’ year-end holiday plans and caused crowds on planes and buses.
Another power outage on the British side on Tuesday was also linked to an electrical failure in the tunnel, which also caused significant delays for passengers on three trains, Eurostar said in a statement.
The paper said overhead power cables had fallen near the tunnel entrance of a Eurostar train from London to Paris, and the task of getting passengers on board and moving the train proved “very complicated”.
Eurostar said the power outage caused significant delays on two trains bound for Brussels.
Passenger Ghislain Planck told French broadcaster BFMTV that he was scheduled to travel by Eurostar from London to France on Tuesday night, but what was supposed to be just under 90 minutes took about 11 hours, leaving passengers stranded overnight on the train with intermittent electricity.
“There was no electricity, no heat, no air conditioning, and I couldn’t charge my phone,” he said. “We were in total darkness for a while.”
Additional sources of information • AP