The Failings of Eurostar

The Failings of Eurostar

It seems that no matter what the weather or the time of year, Eurostar always seems to be suffering delays or problems with its service. If it's not cancelling journeys due to the 'wrong kind of snow on the tracks' then it's rescuing passengers after 'major technical problems'.

If last week's train crash in Belgium, that saw the deaths of 18 people, hadn't hurt Eurostar services enough, then the weekend's breakdown that saw 700 passengers have to be rescued south of Ashford in Kent will be a major blow.

In fact, it has been a rough season for the train service. In December, the company had to cancel services for three days when snow caused power outages, while a total of 2,500 passengers were stuck in the Channel Tunnel for up to five-and-a-half hours due to delays. Meanwhile, another 100,000 were stranded all over the continent for the weekend before Christmas, blackening the company's name even more.

Independent reviews have slammed the company's contingency plans for helping 'stranded passengers' as 'insufficient' raising concerns about the company's competence.

The report, that was published earlier this month, said that the company had no plan in place" to deal with the breakdowns, and said passengers, including expectant mothers and youngsters returning from Disneyland Paris, had to contend with "appalling conditions". Famously, five trains broke down in the Channel Tunnel on the night of December 18 and 19 2009 after snow shorted the units' power cars.

However, while Eurostar may be an occasionally running joke (pun intended), they remain the only choice for many who opt to travel to and around Europe by rail. Here's hoping Deutsche Bahn or Veolia can increase the number of their services.

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Timon Singh

Timon Singh is a graduate of Liverpool University where he received a degree in Social and Economic History. He has previously worked for BBC Magazines on BBC Who Do You Think You Are? Magazine, the publication for the popular genealogy show.

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