Trains from France to Britain set to run smoother this week

September 26, 2008

Eurotunnel getting back on track after fire interrupts train service between Paris and London.

Britain had better access to France and the rest continental Europe starting Monday when part of the undersea tunnel reopened,  Eurotunnel officials said. Statements asserted Monday’s reopening brought a roughly 50 percent improvement in the current level of traffic.

A serious fire caused grave damage to one of the 31-mile tunnel’s two main shafts.  The popular Eurostar train services linking London to Brussels and Paris have since ground to a near halt. Shuttle links carrying cars and trucks were also affected.

Of course people in France have not been stranded; there are other ways to travel from France to England. Air France and British Airways operate a full schedule of flights, and low cost carriers such as Ryanair link France to lesser-known London area airports such as Stansted.

But the Eurostar, which got off to a rocky start in the 1990’s, has become the travel mode of choice for many in France headed for the UK. Its convenient point-to-point trajectory linking the centers of Paris and London make it a convenient  way to get to meetings and shopping, with no need for a taxi from the airport or fighting city traffic or flight delays. prices ahve become more affordable and the travel time between Paris and London has shrunk amazingly, from a four hour journey to just over two hours. So the fire in the Chan nel Tunnel two weeks ago caused real hardship for travellers in France counting on taking the train to the UK. Trains from the UK to Belgium were similarly affected.

Apiece of the North tunnel coming back online Monday enabled Eurotunnel to increase the number of trains running through the tunnel to almost 170 per day.

While the repairs have made things better, they still are not perfect. A Eurotunnel spokesman said the improvement would bring Eurostar traffic to 80 percent of its pre-fire level, while shuttle services would run at 50 percent of capacity.

“Technical staff are working round the clock to bring a second section of the north tunnel back into service in the next few days. This will further improve the quality of service available,” Eurotunnel added.

Written by Web in France team - Filed Under Featured, News, Tourism

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