Eurostar had no working plan to evacuate broken-down trains caused by the snow, independent experts claimed in February.
The study, which was ordered by the UK government after five trains broke down in the tunnel in December, concluded the high speed train operator must implement an “urgent review” of its evacuation plans and give staff on its trains the same stress management training given to airline cabin crews.
The review, when examining the technical causes of the breakdown, found that the trains were not properly prepared for severe winter weather. Some 40cm of snow fell around the Calais terminal.
According to the report, passengers endured overflowing toilets on trains, as well as cold and darkness for hours. The report said that Eurostar should have been better prepared to cope with the disruption.
The trains broke down on the night of 18th December, leaving thousands of passengers trapped in the tunnel for up to five hours. Eurostar then cancelled all trains for the next three days, disrupting the travel plans of up to 90,000 passengers. Eurostar blamed the breakdown on “fluffy snow” which got into the trains’ engines.
The review panel was headed by former GNER East Coast Main Line rail boss Christopher Garnett, and French transport expert Claude Gressier.
In total the review made 21 recommendations concerning the reliability of Eurostar trains, evacuation and rescue procedures in place in the tunnel, and the way Eurostar manages disruption. It also demanded better crisis management between Eurostar and Eurotunnel, the tunnel’s owner.
“If a train breaks down and passengers have to be rescued or evacuated, this must be done with greater speed and consideration and more comprehensive emergency plans should be put in place,” wrote the two experts.
The review recommended that passengers travelling on Eurostar trains should be briefed about the layout of evacuation trains before they board them to avoid confusion. It said that emergency hotlines should be installed on trains and staff should be more highly trained.
Chief executive of Eurostar Richard Brown said in a statement, “I know we let our passengers down before Christmas and I am determined to put things right. Our priority is to win back the confidence of our passengers by taking all the action necessary to prevent this ever happening again. Our focus now is on fully implementing the recommendations from the Review as well as those additional measures that we have identified ourselves to improve our service.”
The review was made public in February at St. Pancras International Station.
