Eurostar has managed to clear the backlog of passengers stranded on both sides of the English Channel after five Eurostar trains broke down and got stuck in the Channel Tunnel on Saturday 19th December 2009. Trains were cancelled for three days leaving up to 75,000 passengers waiting.
A restricted service has now been resumed between London, Paris and Brussels and the backlog from the previous weekend has now been cleared.
"The procedures that were put in place to prioritise passengers have worked well and the backlog of passengers from the weekend has been cleared and all of the available seats for travel today have now been allocated."
Eurostar said they will run services tomorrow as well, and they are confident that there will be enough seats for everyone who wants to travel before Christmas.
What compensation am I entitled to for being left stranded over the weekend?
A Eurostar spokesman confirmed that passengers who were trapped in the Channel Tunnel overnight on Friday will receive £150 compensation, a full refund on their original ticket plus free return Eurostar tickets. Anyone whose train has been cancelled will be offered a full refund on their ticket or they can postpone their journey to a later date. Customers who decide to cancel their travel in line with Eurostar advice will receive a refund but will not have their hotels and other costs paid by the company.
Can I claim my hotel costs or a flight home?
Eurostar have confirmed that they will cover 'reasonable expenses' for any passengers who have been stranded abroad, i.e. a three star hotel, food and taxis. Eurostar will no longer be covering the cost of flights home as the train service is running again.
What is the compensation phone line number?
Eurostar say they will release a number for customers to call at a later date. In the meantime you can download a compensation form on the company's website, which also provides information about their compensation policy at www.eurostar.com
