Eurostar releases breakdown report

The report, commissioned by Eurostar and complied by Christopher Garnett and French transport expert Claude Gressier, recommended engineering improvements on trains to make them better prepared for snow and – if the worse-case scenario were to occur – comprehensive plans for evacuating passengers out of the tunnel.

The review found that the trains were unprepared for the severe snow fall and weather conditions in the area between London and Paris. On December 18, when the first breakdown occurred, 40cm of snow had fallen around the Calais terminal in a short period of time.

While the first train to fail recovered quickly, four trains that followed throughout the night and into the next day broke down in rapid succession and passengers from two of them had to be evacuated onto Eurotunnel passenger shuttles inside the tunnel. This was the first time an event like this has happened in 15 years of operation.

The evacuation of the trains was carried out safely and efficiently, the report pointed out; however, it mentioned that it was likely a frightening experience for passengers still on the Eurostar trains when they lost power, and subsequently air conditioning and lighting.