# Eurotunnel & Calais roads



## Sagedog (Jun 28, 2005)

Having been in Eurotunnel Folkestone since 6pm last night I thought I would let you all know the score as we have been told.

All services stoppedat 2am after operating at a very slow 2 per hour if we were lucky. I have read about trains being stuck in the tunnels but cannot coroborate. May be boarding at 6 am will let you know.


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## dawnwynne (Nov 14, 2009)

Oh no Sagedog, I just heard on the radio that there are 4 trains broken down in the tunnel. Some have been there for hours. They are busing all passengers back to london and it doesn't look like the tunnel will be open for a long time. Not even sure it will be open today.

Sorry for your bad luck and hope you get on your way soon!!


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## Rapide561 (Oct 1, 2005)

*Trains*

I am amazed that a train can break down due to the fact that "it is warmer in the tunnel than outside". Strange that the Swiss and many other countries run old, clapped out traction without a faulire!

Russell


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## zulurita (May 9, 2005)

According to news trains not running until midday!


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## Briarose (Oct 9, 2007)

Ref the news on this on TV now............isn't it the Eurostar passenger trains from Ashford that are broken down, or should I say have been.

It has also said the port at Calais closed.


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## leseduts (Jun 3, 2008)

We are booked to cross late today. Like a lot of people we are in a cleft stick. If we do not leave Yorkshire soon we will be stuck in the next weather front and be snowed in again, on the other hand it's pointlesss adding to the chaos at the tunnel. We are thinking about finding a site North of M25 for tonight and hoping things are back to normal at the Tunnel by tomorrow.


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## teemyob (Nov 22, 2005)

*Tunnel*

Don't you just love those Eurostar Passengers moaning on the news?

Carriages were stuffy,
No Air,
No Water,

Blah Blah

They are all safe and well, that is the main thing.

TM


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## Sagedog (Jun 28, 2005)

We are through in a very white Calais but not disembarked as we can't reach the platform as points are frozen! Good luck everyone


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## dawnwynne (Nov 14, 2009)

Glad you've made it there safe and sound...hopefully you'll disembark soon!


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## teemyob (Nov 22, 2005)

*Update*



Sagedog said:


> We are through in a very white Calais but not disembarked as we can't reach the platform as points are frozen! Good luck everyone


Thanks for the Update, have a safe & enjoyable trip!

TM


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## Wupert (Aug 6, 2007)

Sagedog said:


> We are through in a very white Calais but not disembarked as we can't reach the platform as points are frozen! Good luck everyone


Safe journey SD

-22 last night in Salzburgerland its warmed up to -12 and now snowing

Trains on time


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## Briarose (Oct 9, 2007)

*Re: Tunnel*



teemyob said:


> Don't you just love those Eurostar Passengers moaning on the news?
> 
> Carriages were stuffy,
> No Air,
> ...


One has just been on saying 'if it wasn't for the public spirit, he doesn't think that they would have got through it' what does that mean :?:

I do feel sorry for them though, it can't have been very nice and probably a bit scary worrying how long they were going to be there, esp for those with children. As I have said in Early Birds it is the one thing I like about being in our MH on our travels at least you have food and a place to rest etc.

It seems they moved folk from the passenger train to one of the carriages that usually transport vehicles and passengers had to huddle up on the floor etc which as you can imagine must have been quite dirty.........wonder if that was to actually transport them.


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## wobby (May 1, 2005)

It puzzle's me why, when a train break down they can't send in a engine to hook up and pull it out.

Any how glad your almost on your way, have a good trip, Christmas and a happy NY.

Wobby


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## teemyob (Nov 22, 2005)

*Re: Tunnel & Kids*



Briarose said:


> teemyob said:
> 
> 
> > Don't you just love those Eurostar Passengers moaning on the news?
> ...


Why do People always bring Children into everything?

I doubt "Children" would be that bothered, may be a bit of adventure and will only panic as a knock on effect from the Adults.

TM


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## teemyob (Nov 22, 2005)

*Engine*



wobby said:


> It puzzle's me why, when a train break down they can't send in a engine to hook up and pull it out.
> 
> Any how glad your almost on your way, have a good trip, Christmas and a happy NY.
> 
> Wobby


I always think that, then I think about the Smoke in the Tunnel! :lol:


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## teemyob (Nov 22, 2005)

*POSL*

Must all be trying to switch to P&O, website cannot handle traffic, bit like our roads!.


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## Invicta (Feb 9, 2006)

Sagedog said:


> Having been in Eurotunnel Folkestone since 6pm last night I thought I would let you all know the score as we have been told.
> 
> All services stoppedat 2am after operating at a very slow 2 per hour if we were lucky. I have read about trains being stuck in the tunnels but cannot coroborate. May be boarding at 6 am will let you know.


You wern't the M/C we saw parked up on the hard shoulder of the M20 near junction 11a with a police car with its blue lights flashing in front when we went past at about 5 pm were you?! We managed to get past the hold up at that junction only to be caught up in one just before the junction to Capel le Ferne. Told on the radio that it had been caused by a jack knifed lorry. The M20 around Dover and Folkestone was not the place to be last evening!


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## Hezbez (Feb 7, 2009)

*Re: Tunnel & Kids*



teemyob said:


> Briarose said:
> 
> 
> > teemyob said:
> ...


Yeah, we head that report too. No food, no water, blah blah blah. You would think they'd been stuck in someting devastating like an earthquake. :?


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## Tobysmumndad (Nov 12, 2007)

*Rescue locomotives*



wobby said:


> It puzzle's me why, when a train break down they can't send in a engine to hook up and pull it out.
> 
> Any how glad your almost on your way, have a good trip, Christmas and a happy NY.
> 
> Wobby


In fact, they did have two hybrid electro-diesel locomotives for rescuing failed trains, but I see they've been disposed of. Perhaps that was a short-sighted decision in view of what's happened? Logic suggests that there must be some sort of contingency plan to haul out failures.

We reached the Channel Tunnel in similar weather conditions three years ago to be told that the shuttle was operating normally, but things were not good on the French side. The A26 had been 'snow-closed' all morning and had only just reopened. We had a bit of a 'pucker factor drive' through the Pas de Calais until we got down towards Reims. We were heading towards Bourg St Maurice and skiing, so had all the snow chains, shovels, etc. with us. Even if heading off in the other direction towards Spain, it's obviously sensible to arm yourself against snowy weather at this time of year.

Hmm ... conditions are still not good:
http://www.eurotunnel.com/ukcP3Main/ukcPassengers/ukcTravel/ukpTravelInfo.htm


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## PeterandLinda (Feb 21, 2009)

Hi 

It seems that the Eurostar trains have been disabled by condensation affecting the electronics. I've just come across this from Simon Calder on the Daily Telegraph website from 29th December 2001 (yes 2001):- 

"...Second place goes to another last train to London, this time the final Eurostar departure from Brussels to Waterloo on 23 December. The timetable promises that it arrives in London at 11pm, GMT. When this moment came, and went, passengers were 20,000 leagues under the sea – or at least 130 feet below the Channel – where they had been for some time. 

"Anyone with spectacles will know what it's like when you go from the icy-cold outdoors into a very warm restaurant," a Eurostar spokesman explains. "In the same way as your glasses steam up because of the sudden change in temperature, so our locomotives suffered from condensation when they entered the tunnel. They're used to temperature changes, but on the 23 December it was dramatic because of the very cold weather in northern France." 

After several attempts to restart the engine inside the Channel Tunnel, the call went out for a locomotive that could come in from the cold without shutting down. Eventually one appeared and, with a hiccup or two, it dragged the ailing train to Ashford International station, where it arrived just before 3am. 

There ensued refugee-like scenes where pregnant women, elderly people and families with small children were urged to change platforms and catch a draughty old Connex commuter train for the remaining 60 miles into London. When one traveller noticed a gleaming Eurostar train had drawn up on the adjacent platform, and that the company's staff from the broken train seemed to be lingering, he asked if it would be a better bet than the by-now overcrowded Connex service. 

"We don't know when exactly it's going, but we're all catching it," he was told. Eurostar says that passengers were all offered a choice of services. 

The Eurostar train glided past the Connex one and pulled in shortly before 5am on Christmas Eve." 

So Eurostar haven't heard of WD40 then! And they have had eight years to fix this problem.

P&L


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## Autoquest (May 16, 2007)

Papers are reporting that the French police have closed Calais and are preventing traffic from leaving due to the conditions, this turn is preventing ferries from docking, ferries from leaving etc, etc

This global warming thing is a bit of a bugger.... 8)


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## Sagedog (Jun 28, 2005)

Yes Invicta that was us we managed to squeeze ourselves in and had a great week even if the start was a little delayed.....

I would have been on here earlier but the WiFi in bourg was also affected bty the cold :wink: 

Happy Christmas all and a Very Happy New Year in advance.

So glad to be back in work :twisted:


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