Eurostar rail has begun test runs of trains in Channel Tunnel as rail engineers worked frantically to solve the mystery of multiple breakdowns between London and Paris ahead of the peak Christmas and New Year holiday rush season.
The breakdowns, apparently because of technical faults blamed on unprecedented winter conditions due to snow and sub-zero temperatures, have forced tens of thousands of passengers to cancel their journeys.
Suspension of services, coupled with problems with cross-Channel ferries and deteriorating weather conditions, has caused massive delays on major roads in southeastern England.
Eurostar, which transports about 40,000 people a day between Britain and continental Europe, confirmed Sunday night that it will not run any passenger services on Monday.
It hopes to restore services by evening but warned that it would take time to clear the backlog of stranded passengers due to travel over the next few days in the run-up to Christmas as well as the backlog of those whose journeys have already been canceled. It has advised people to postpone their trip unless absolutely necessary.
The company is turning away passengers at St Pancras, but has arranged ferries for 500 elderly travelers and families with children from Dover instead.
Eurostar's chief executive, Richard Brown apologized to irate passengers on visiting St Pancras on Sunday and said the situation had taken too long to resolve.
More than 2,000 passengers were trapped on five underground trains with broken lavatories, temperatures above 25C (77F), no food or water and only emergency lighting on Friday and Saturday amid wintry weather. They criticized train staff's response to the emergency as "terrible" with little or no communication during their ordeal.
Engineers are still uncertain why Eurostar's trains failed, after running unaffected in most previous cold snaps of the past 15 years. The company blamed the sudden change between freezing temperatures above ground and the heat of the tunnel. A spokesman said snow shields installed to protect the electrics had failed.
Eurostar commercial director Nick Mercer also apologized to passengers but said engineers had found out the cause and would work on the trains overnight to try to solve the problem. If testing of the modified trains proves successful on Monday, an announcement will be made about when services can resume, he added.
Opened in 1994, Channel Tunnel was shut for two days last year after a big fire broke out on a freight train. A blaze in 1996 halted freight traffic for seven months.
For comments and feedback: editorial@rttnews.com