South East MEP Sharon Bowles slams Eurostar in wake of Independent Review

1.00.00pm GMT Fri 12th Feb 2010

Lib Dem MEPs Sharon Bowles and Sarah Ludford at Independent Review of Eurostar

South East MEP Sharon Bowles has criticised Eurostar after an Independent Review highlighted serious flaws in its emergency procedures.

The Review, which was commissioned before Christmas after five trains broke down leaving 2,400 people stranded in the Channel Tunnel, also focused on delays caused by winter weather conditions, compensation for passengers, and the implementation of contingency plans.

Sharon Bowles said:

"I have campaigned for improvements to Eurostar's service for years. In 2007, I led a campaign to stop Eurostar cutting its Ashford to Brussels service, which was a battle we won.

"In December last year, I called for there to be an overhaul of Eurostar in the wake of the Channel Tunnel breakdowns and having attended the announcement of the Independent Review in London today, I feel my concerns have finally been addressed.

"However, there has been heavy snowfall in Kent this week which has caused yet more disruption to Eurostar services, with passenger trains delayed for up to two hours - how embarrassing for Eurostar that as the Review panel outlined past problems and possible solutions, trains are still running late.

"Furthermore, I was astonished to hear the panel talk about the complete lack of communication in the Channel Tunnel after the trains broke down. As a former patent attorney, I worked on patents for emergency communication devices in mines and nuclear plants and was shocked that Eurostar had nothing similar in place.

"Given the failure of Eurostar to run a good winter service and the subsequent disruption, there could be cause this time next year for another Independent Review. In fact, given the recent delays, there could be cause this time next week for another Independent Review."

ENDS