Travel chaos as Channel Tunnel closes

The Channel Tunnel will be partially closed today as high-speed train company Eurostar works to repair a power failure that forced nearly 400 passengers to be evacuated. The incident, which blocked one of the tunnel’s two tracks, has thrown the travel plans of thousands of holidaymakers and other passengers into chaos.

High-speed train company Eurostar, which runs passengers trains through the tunnel between London, Paris and Brussels, said damage to overhead power cables caused by the breakdown of a shuttle train on was "unresolved and ongoing". Repair work will continue at least until mid-afternoon on Tuesday, when the tunnel will partially reopen, said Eurostar.

On Monday, a Eurotunnel car shuttle from Britain to France came to a halt about a quarter of the way through the 50km long tunnel, sparking major delays and cancellations on the car service and the Eurostar. The 382 people and four dogs on board were transferred to the French terminal, where they were reunited with their cars when their train was moved. Mobile phone photos from passengers showed dozens of people waiting in the service tunnel between the two main rail lines.