Labour PPC Donald Worsley has reiterated his call for heads to roll at the highest level over the pre-Christmas chaos which engulfed the Channel Tunnel on the night of December 18 – 19.
Hundreds of passengers were stranded in the tunnel as five trains to broke down in succession. The story made headlines across the UK, with most reports concentrating on the dire conditions endured by the passengers.
The independent report initiated by the Board of Eurostar and also requested by British and French governments, released on January 21, found that ‘a large quantity of fine snow entering the power cars…created electrical problems.’
The report strongly criticised Eurostar, stating ‘the winterisation procedures were not suitable for the weather conditions; that routine maintenance procedures were inadequate; insufficient account was taken of the age of some parts of the power cars; and the motor units failed to combine powerful ventilation with the need for protection of sensitive components against water ingress.’
The report also describes the confusion, poor conditions and a lack of communication experienced by passengers. Temperatures in the tunnel were such that passengers opened the doors of the trains for ventilation. Passengers ‘including pregnant women had to sit on greasy floors.’ Crew are criticised for being ‘generally unhelpful’ and ‘appeared intimidated by passengers.’
There was little to no provision of food and water. Some passengers were allowed to smoke in the tunnels and during the evacuation of one train, amid heated discussions, passengers were allowed to take their heavy bags, slowing the evacuation process.
17 pages of the report list 21 recommendations, broken down into three main areas of train reliability, evacuation and rescue and managing disruption and improving communication.
In a press release, Mr Worsley blasts the report as ‘a lamentable state of the blindingly obvious [which] could have been written by any first year undergraduate.
‘What was required above all was a list of the heads that should roll for those responsible for the chaos in the first place, from those in research and development who failed to take into account the effect of adverse weather conditions on the train’s power supply , those incapable of getting the stricken trains out of the tunnel within minutes not days, through to those with overall responsibility for passenger’s safety who let them stew in the Tunnel in conditions more insanitary than a cesspit.
Mr Worsley calls on Lord Adonis, Secretary of State for Transport ‘to take immediate action against Eurostar … starting with the ending of its monopoly on running passenger trains through the Tunnel to compensating the council taxpayers of Shepway and Kent for the extra burden placed upon them by Eurostar’s negligence.
Dismissing Eurostar’s offer to invest £30 million as a ‘token gesture’, the press release ends with ‘nothing short of the wholesale resignation of Eurostar’s Board of Directors will suffice to lance its festering incompetence. And if they don’t go voluntarily then I for one will gladly contribute towards their one way tickets through the Tunnel and out of Kent for good.’
Mr Worsley has consistently called for the removal of the monopoly for operating the Channel Tunnel service. He previously wrote to Lord Adonis immediately after the problems last December, though has not announced if he has received any response.
Although widely reported by the national press, the release of the report has not generated comment from Shepway’s main political parties, the Conservatives and the Liberal Democrats.
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