Channel Tunnel delays for months

Police have been gathering samples from the scene of the fire

Eurotunnel has said it will take "several months" before Channel Tunnel services are operating normally again following last week's fire.

French police are investigating the causes of the blaze in the north tunnel, which remains closed.

The lengthy repair work can only begin once investigators conclude their work.

A third of the usual volume of traffic is passing between England and France through the south tunnel. The schedule will be reviewed on Thursday.

An average of 116 services carrying people or freight is going through the tunnel daily, compared with a daily average before the fire of between 300 and 400, according to Eurotunnel.

Services will remain at that level until Thursday, when the tunnel organisers will look again at revising the schedule.

The north tunnel remains closed while the French authorities investigate the fire which broke out on a freight train seven miles from Calais on Thursday.

Eurotunnel spokesperson John Keefe told the BBC that "it is likely that the process of clean-up, removal of the damaged train and repairs will take several months.

"That will follow the time taken by French police to fully investigate - and we have no idea of that time.

"That's entirely in the hands of the French police."

New timetable

The 16-hour blaze was put out on Friday morning.

On Saturday, the south tunnel came back into limited use, with some lorry shuttles and a reduced Eurostar passenger service operating.

Eurostar said that 60% of high-speed passenger services are running with intervals of several hours between trains.

See layout of Channel Tunnel

There is a minimum of 30 minutes delay to each journey at present.

Travellers with bookings up until Sunday with non-essential journeys to make are encouraged to ask for a refund or re-schedule their trip.

Eurostar said: "Travellers should check-in as normal for the train times given on their tickets and we will try to put you on one of the next available trains.

"This could mean waiting a long time before boarding. Journey times will also be significantly longer."

The company said the check-in for travellers departing from London's St Pancras International would close at 18.45 (BST) while passengers in Paris must clear check-in by 20.00 (CET).

Fire investigation

Thirty-two people on board were led to safety when the fire broke out.

Fourteen had suffered minor injuries, including smoke inhalation.

The source of the blaze has not yet been identified but French officials say a lorry carrying chemicals, which is understood to have overturned on the freight train, was close to the seat of the fire.

It was carrying the chemical phenol, a toxic product used by the pharmaceutical industry.

Conservative MEP and transport spokesman Timothy Kirkhope has demanded a full enquiy from the Channel Tunnel Safety Authority on chemicals in the tunnel.

A Eurotunnel spokesman, who has visited the affected tunnel, was keen to dampen down the explosion theory as "entirely speculative".

French authorities are responsible for carrying out the investigation into the fire, although Kent Fire And Rescue Service said it would be supporting the inquiry.

The Channel Tunnel has suffered several incidents since it opened to traffic in 1994 although only one - a fire in 1996 - caused injuries.

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