The Channel Tunnel is just over 50 kilometres in length, making it the third longest railway tunnel in the world.
Distressed Eurotunnel passengers were made to walk through a service tunnel below the sea after their train broke down between England and France on Tuesday (23 August).
People on the 3.50pm Eurotunnel Le Shuttle service from Calais to Folkestone were left stranded after their train lost power.
Videos posted to social media showed passengers walking through the security tunnel along route between Britain and mainland Europe.
Meanwhile travellers in Calais were told to stay away from the terminal until 6am on Wednesday, with pictures showing gridlock at the shuttle terminal late into the evening.
“A train has broken down in the tunnel and we are in the process of transferring customers to a separate passenger shuttle via the service tunnel, to return to our Folkestone terminal,” said a spokesperson for Eurotunnel Le Shuttle.
“We apologise sincerely for this inconvenience.”
Shuttles continued to operate while the train was broken down, but at a reduced service.
Eurotunnel Le Shuttle advised passengers not to travel to the terminal on Tuesday night due to the earlier train fault, asking instead that they arrive after 6am on Wednesday morning.
Attention customers travelling from Calais to Folkestone.
Due to the earlier train fault, we advise you not to travel to the terminal tonight.
Please arrive after 6am tomorrow.
Apologies for the delay. pic.twitter.com/SE13NDWmd3
— LeShuttle (@LeShuttle) August 23, 2022
Delays on the line were reported to be as long as four hours, with some passengers reporting being stuck in offload parking for hours at a time.
According to the Eurotunnel website, services have returned to normal, and departures from both the Folkestone terminal and Calais are set to arrive as scheduled.
Passengers can book their seats at the Folkestone terminal, but will have to prebook to travel from Calais.
The Channel Tunnel is just over 50 kilometres in length, making it the third longest railway tunnel in the world.
The railway is 75 metres below the sea bed and 115 metres below sea level, with nearly 38 kilometres of the tunnel travelling underwater.
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