France - Eurostar

Sarkozy orders Eurostar to get back on track

Article published on the 2009-12-21 Latest update 2009-12-21 16:11 TU

French President Nicolas Sarkozy
(Photo: Reuters)

French President Nicolas Sarkozy ordered Eurostar to get back on track by Tuesday after the chaos over the weekend that resulted in passengers stranded in five trains in the tunnel. Some 40,000 people have been left stranded. The French government expressed outrage Monday after hearing that passengers stuck on trains in the tunnel were not given any information nor food or drink.

Sarkozy has summoned the chairman of Eurostar to his office for an explanation. He also said that he wanted new measures implemented so that an incident of this kind would not happen again.

Eurostar said over the weekend that the trains broke down because the system could not handle the sudden drop in temperature outside and the heat inside the the tunnel.

Train service might resume Tuesday morning, but normal service will not begin again until Christmas Day, Friday.

The French government has ordered an investigation into the incident. Meanwhile, Eurostar is conducting its own review by independent experts.