50,000 travellers stranded over breakdown of Britain-France train link

AFTER a series of breakdowns trapped thousands in a tunnel for hours in claustrophobic conditions, the only rail link between Britain and France was closed for testing yesterday by the company managing the train services, Eurostar.

Passengers were stranded in the dark without food, water or air conditioning for more than 12 hours after the breakdowns, which were initially blamed on severe weather.

The Associated Press (AP) stated that breakdowns of four trains in the Channel Tunnel on Friday evening and ensuing cancellations through the weekend were expected to affect some 50,000 people during the busy holiday travel season.