A surprise strike led to the closure of the Channel Tunnel on Thursday 21 December, causing major disruptions, while the first departures have already begun for the holidays. All Eurostar trains running through the tunnel, as well as shuttles carrying cars and trucks, are blocked until further notice.
The strike, called by French unions, led to "the complete interruption of service and the closure of our terminals in France and the United Kingdom," Getlink, Eurotunnel's parent company, said in a statement.
"The trade unions have rejected the exceptional bonus of 1,000 euros announced at the end of the year by the management and called for a strike to demand that it be tripled," the management continued.
Panic a few days before Christmas
The announcement of the cancellation of afternoon trains to Paris, Brussels and Amsterdam from London's St Pancras station caused panic among passengers, according to an AFP journalist at the scene.
The many travelers who planned to return to France or Belgium for the holidays rushed to their phones to try to change their ticket for the next day, or to book one of the flights still available from the British capital.
The station's greeters and security guards — who seemed equally caught off guard — had to remove passengers who had already gone through security and were on the platform, they told travelers in the lobby.
At the Lille-Europe train station, Nick, a 45-year-old Briton, was trying to figure out what was going on. "We don't know how we're going to get back to London today. And given the email we received, it looks like there will be no more trains for the day," he complained.
With AFP
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