Eurostar services from London to Paris were today taking almost twice as long as usual after a breakdown last night left hundreds of passengers stranded in darkness.
Nearly 750 people were stuck for two hours last night after the Paris toLondon service came to a halt just before 11pm due to "technicalproblems".
Today Eurostar admitted it was still struggling with the same issues and that trains travelling between the British and French capitals were taking an hour longer than normal for the two hour 20 minute journey.
"Terrifying": Passenger Dan Feldman took this photo as scared passengers were evacuated from the stricken train
A Eurostar spokesman said the company - bitterly criticised forpre-Christmas breakdowns in the tunnel - was still investigating thecause of last night"s incident in Ashford Kent.
"(Today"s) delays are due to the same problem we had last night in Ashford," he added.
Last night, more than 740 passengers had to clamber down ladders on to thetracks and then back up on to a replacement train that arrivedalongside more than an hour later.
There were reports of stifling temperatures on board the strandedtrain, with toilets not working and staff struggling to find emergencylighting.
Last night passengers reported carriages being plunged into darknessand conditions becoming hot and sweaty when the air conditioning failedshortly after the train stopped.
Several began to panic and many children were crying.
Passengers on the train - which included a number of elderly anddisabled people and young children - had to sit in pitch darkness for almosttwo hours before finally being told they would have to ;carry their ownluggage while climbing out of the train on ladders.
They then had to use ladders to board another train which had pulled up alongside.
Legaladvisor Dan Feldman, 35, was on his way back from a weekend break inParis with his wife Clarissa, 36, and their three children agedsix-and-a-half, five and two.
He said last night: "The way Eurostar have handled it has been completely shambolic.
"We just came to a stop and we have been in pitch darkness for more than an hour.
"The toilets arent working which is unpleasant and the air conditioning is broken so it is getting very hot.
"Its extremely uncomfortable we are all sweating.
"Thereare young children here and needless to say they are frightened havingto sit in pitch darkness. Its not very nice for them.
More than 740 people were stuck for two hours after the Paris to London service stopped just before 10pm outside Ashford last night due to "technical problems"
Passenger Richard Startari told the BBC: "Just 10 minutes from Ashford,the Eurostar kind of stopped, at which point we then lost all power."
He said Eurostar staff went up and down with water, but had had to usetheir iPhones for light as they "didn"t seem to have torches, which isa bit concerning".
The rescue train finally arrived at St Pancras just after 2.30am, more than four-and-a-half hours later than the scheduled arrival time.
Eurostar said travellers were offered taxis or hotel accommodation, andare being offered a cash refund of last night"s Paris to London trip,plus a free return ticket in compensation.
An independent report into Eurostar"s pre-Christmas breakdowns, whichleft around 2,500 passengers stranded on trains for several hoursovernight, criticised the preparedness of the firm for such anemergency.
Five trains broke down in the Channel Tunnel on the night of December 18 and 19 after snow got into the locomotives" power cars.
The report - published earlier this month - said the company had "noplan in place" to deal with the breakdowns, and said passengers,including expectant mothers and youngsters returning from DisneylandParis, had to contend with "appalling conditions".
Former GNER East Coast Main Line rail boss Christopher Garnett andFrench transport expert Claude Gressier made 21 recommendations,including train modifications, improved communications and betteremergency plans.
Eurostar also suffered more transport problems last week after a major Brusselscommuter train crash on Monday.
Services to and from the Belgian capital have been disrupted since the collision.
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