Chunnel reopens after repair work

Repairs were needed after humidity damaged signalling

Passenger and rail services between England and France have resumed after a three-hour closure of the Channel Tunnel for signalling repair work.

A limited service was restored at 1430 BST, when the tunnel was opened to clear delayed Eurostar services.

Vehicle and freight shuttle services from the UK to France were expected to resume by 1600 BST, said Eurotunnel.

The tunnel was closed after signalling systems were damaged by high humidity levels occurring after recent storms.

Heavy machinery

Shuttle services from France to the UK were expected to resume by 1630 BST.

A Eurotunnel spokeswoman said the rail operator is currently using a single track and expected to resume twin-track operations soon.

She said all heavy machinery necessary for carrying out the repair work had been removed but said maintenance work was still being carried out in a small section of the tunnel.

During the closure, shuttle passengers were transferred onto Dover-Calais ferries.

Delayed Eurostar passengers were offered the opportunity to travel on another day and also given refreshments by the train operator.

Four-hour delays

The closure on Wednesday followed delays to services on Tuesday.

Signalling problems led to some travellers being held up for up to four hours.

Eurotunnel spokesman, Kevin Charles, said: "We apologise for this inconvenience.

"The affected signals are in a small part of the tunnel on the English side but to get in there and do the work properly we need to close the tunnel."