1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
44
45
46
47
48
49
50
51
52
53
54
55
56
57
58
59
60
61
62
63
64
65
66
67
68
69
70
71
72
73
74
75
76
77
78
79
80
81
82
83
84
85
86
87
88
89
90
91
92
93
94
95
96
97
98
99
100
101
102
103
104
105
106
107
108
109
110
111
112
113
114
115
116
117
118
119
120
121
122
123
124
125
126
127
128
129
130
131
132
133
134
135
136
137
138
139
140
141
142
143
144
145
146
147
148
149
150
151
152
153
154
155
156
157
158
159
160
161
162
163
164
165
166
167
168
169
170
171
172 
Channel Tunnel set to resume normal service
Page 6
If you've noticed an error in this article please click here to report it so we can fix it.
By Christopher Walton THE CHANNEL Tunnel was set to reopen fully today, barring any last-minute mishaps, bringing to an end a week of chaos that was sparked by the third fire to hit the tunnel since it opened in 1994, The fire started at around 2.55pm on Thursday 11 September, and the tunnel remained closed until midnight on Saturday 13 September. Up until today's reopening, Eurotunnel has been operating two freight shuttle services every two hours between 7am and lOpm (Central European Time), with four departures every two hours overnight.
An investigation into the cause of the fire, headed by French authorities, continues. Some 27 HGVs were burnt out by the fire. Between them, they were carrying 29 drivers and co-drivers who — along with three of the train drivers — were forced to escape down the service tunnel.
No-one was seriously hurt, and they were admitted to a French hospital overnight for observation.
John Keefe. a spokesman for Eurotunnel, insists the tunnel's safety procedures are sound: "What they were driving that was in that shuttle is toast, but they walked out without a singe."
Kent Police has also lifted Operation Stack, but warns users of the M20 to be prepared for its "repeated implementation" in coming weeks as cross-Channel links return to normal.
It is also reiterating its desire for a lorry park to provide a permanent answer to the problems caused by Operation Stack.
Assistant Chief Constable Allyn Thomas of Kent Police explains: "It is abundantly clear that an alternative permanent solution must be found eventually. There is general agreement that a lorry park, wherever that may be adopted, remains one of the best options to help alleviate what is a recurring problem."