The 8.26 St Panc to Paris train was delayed at Ebbsfleet yesterday for a security alert, shocking scenes of organisation and communication from Eurostar as per normal.
Stopped at Ebbsfleet to pick up and ended up sitting there for a good 20 minutes before the announcement came that there was a signalling problem in the area. This began to look fishy when 10 minutes later, a Eurostar whizzed past on another track at about 125mph yet another announcement came that it was a signalling problem. Then after we'd been sat there for thirty minutes and BTP officers boarded the train, it looked like one weird signalling problem.
I asked a gentleman who I presumed was a cleaner or platform staff, wasn't train crew what the problem was and how long the delay would be as communication had been poor and I was only going to Paris for the day. I got told to sit down before he said "do you know what kind of a world we live in and what day it is today?".
Eventually, the female train manager came in and explained the situation exceptionally well. She apologised for the misinformation and the delay and said that a passenger had been arrested and they had to search the trains baggage due to a security alert and it wasn't safe for the train to proceed to the channel tunnel. The arrested woman came in and identified three of her bags before they took them off the train and simply opened them up on the platform. They then said they needed to identify everyones luggage on the train and mark it with chalk, they seemed to start this process and then abandon it halfway through though!
Full story is on the Racing Post site as it was a big horse racing day in Paris (hence my travel): http://www.racingpost.com/news/horse-racing/british-travellers-to-arc-trials-delayed-by-eurostar-arrests/914261/top/
Was a 90 minute delay in the end and seemed a fuss about nothing. It can't have been that serious if the train didn't need to be evacuated yet "wasn't safe to travel through the tunnel" and then for them to just open the luggage on the platform next to the train.
The whole episode seemed to be full of needless self importance by certain members of staff and excessive melodramatics. Whenever I'm delayed with Eurostar, I find the communication to be absolutely dire. Upon applying for compensation, I will be praising the excellent female train manager (the male one who made the announcements didn't sound like he had a clue, think he was in the opposite end to the incident though in fairness) but will give them both barrels over their overall communication as a company and the employee who spouted reactionary and scare filled responses upon politely asking for the cause and time of the delay!
Stopped at Ebbsfleet to pick up and ended up sitting there for a good 20 minutes before the announcement came that there was a signalling problem in the area. This began to look fishy when 10 minutes later, a Eurostar whizzed past on another track at about 125mph yet another announcement came that it was a signalling problem. Then after we'd been sat there for thirty minutes and BTP officers boarded the train, it looked like one weird signalling problem.
I asked a gentleman who I presumed was a cleaner or platform staff, wasn't train crew what the problem was and how long the delay would be as communication had been poor and I was only going to Paris for the day. I got told to sit down before he said "do you know what kind of a world we live in and what day it is today?".
Eventually, the female train manager came in and explained the situation exceptionally well. She apologised for the misinformation and the delay and said that a passenger had been arrested and they had to search the trains baggage due to a security alert and it wasn't safe for the train to proceed to the channel tunnel. The arrested woman came in and identified three of her bags before they took them off the train and simply opened them up on the platform. They then said they needed to identify everyones luggage on the train and mark it with chalk, they seemed to start this process and then abandon it halfway through though!
Full story is on the Racing Post site as it was a big horse racing day in Paris (hence my travel): http://www.racingpost.com/news/horse-racing/british-travellers-to-arc-trials-delayed-by-eurostar-arrests/914261/top/
Was a 90 minute delay in the end and seemed a fuss about nothing. It can't have been that serious if the train didn't need to be evacuated yet "wasn't safe to travel through the tunnel" and then for them to just open the luggage on the platform next to the train.
The whole episode seemed to be full of needless self importance by certain members of staff and excessive melodramatics. Whenever I'm delayed with Eurostar, I find the communication to be absolutely dire. Upon applying for compensation, I will be praising the excellent female train manager (the male one who made the announcements didn't sound like he had a clue, think he was in the opposite end to the incident though in fairness) but will give them both barrels over their overall communication as a company and the employee who spouted reactionary and scare filled responses upon politely asking for the cause and time of the delay!
. We'd wait until Dec 27th