Eurotunnel has reopened a 17-km section of the Channel Tunnel damaged by a fire, and Eurostar services will be almost back to 100% by the end of the week. Spokesman John Keefe said: “The number of people boarding trains and the number of trains running will be almost back to 100% on Eurostar.”
He also anticipated that 90% of freight services would be operating and a slightly lower figure for passenger services from Folkestone.
Eurostar has today increased the number of trains to Paris from 12 a day to 15.
Before the fire on September 11, Eurostar was running 17 trains a day to the French capital.
However Mr Keefe warned that there could still be slight delays to journey times as trains slow down when they divert to the south tunnel to navigate past the fire-damaged section.
Eurotunnel carried over 8 million passengers between London, Paris and Brussels in 2007 - representing an increase of more than five per cent on the previous year.
Since November 2007, the average Eurostar journey time between London and Paris averages two hours and 15 minutes, which compares with an average of two hours and 30 minutes in 2006.
——-