Eurostar passengers suffer another breakdown

Date: 22/2/2010

A Eurostar train broke down near Ashford, Kent, last night (February 21st), leaving hundreds of passengers trapped on board, it has been reported.

Around 740 passengers travelling between Paris and London were plunged into darkness following the breakdown.

However, operators have reported that after a delay the emergency lighting came on.

Passengers waited on board for more than an hour for a replacement train to finish their journey.

The train arrived into London at 02:30, more than four hours after it was due. The train had already been held up in Paris due to a security alert over a piece of abandoned baggage.

A spokesperson for Eurostar said they are investigating what happened, although they do not know at present why the train broke down.

It added that no disruptions are expected due to the breakdown.

In December last year, over 2,000 people were delayed for up to 16 hours due to Eurostar break downs.