An unexpected strike action by employees of Getlink, the company managing the Channel Tunnel, led to the closure of the work, through which no trains have passed since Thursday December 21 at noon.
All Eurostar trains circulating in the tunnel as well as shuttles transporting cars and trucks are therefore blocked until further notice, while the first departures have already started for the holidays.
The strike, called by French unions, resulted in “the complete interruption of service and the closure of our terminals in France and the United Kingdom”reported Getlink – the parent company of Eurotunnel – in a press release. “The union organizations rejected the exceptional bonus of 1,000 euros announced at the end of the year by management and called for a strike to demand that it be tripled”continued management.
The Minister of Transport, Clément Beaune, judged on “the blocking of the Channel Tunnel [était] unacceptable” and that one ” solution [devait] be immediately found ».
Passenger panic
The announcement of the cancellation of afternoon trains to Paris, Brussels and Amsterdam from St Pancras station in London caused panic among passengers, according to a journalist from Agence France -Press (AFP) present on site. The reception and security officers at the station – who seemed equally caught off guard – even had to remove passengers who had already passed security checks and were waiting on the platform.
The many travelers who planned to return to France or Belgium for the holidays tried to change their ticket for the next day, or to quickly book one of the flights still available from the British capital.
At the Lille-Europe station, Nick, a 45-year-old British man, was trying to understand what was happening. “We don’t know how we’re going to get back to London today. And based on the email we received, it looks like there won’t be any more trains for the day.”he cursed.