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TRAVEL NEWS

Eurotunnel strike latest: How long will the Channel Tunnel be disrupted for?

Unions representing Channel Tunnel workers have ended the wildcat strike that caused massive travel disruption on Thursday - but how long are services likely to be disrupted and what's the situation for rebooking?

Eurotunnel strike latest: How long will the Channel Tunnel be disrupted for?
Passengers gather at the Eurostar International Departures hall at St Pancras station in London on December 21, 2023, as services are disrupted due to a strike at the Eurotunnel. Photo by JUSTIN TALLIS / AFP

The Channel Tunnel was completely closed on Thursday afternoon and evening after a wildcat strike by unions representing French workers at Getlink, the Tunnel operator.

At 7.30pm on Thursday unions announced the strike was over – apparently after negotiating a deal with bosses over end-of year bonuses.

“The crisis Eurotunnel industrial action is coming to an end… Channel tunnel activity will resume this evening,” said union delegate Franck Herent, citing negotiations with management that “bore results that satisfy us”.

So when are services likely to return to normal?

The strike was by staff employed at Getlink, which operates the Channel Tunnel – which means that all traffic using the tunnel was affected – Eurostar services, as well as Le Shuttle trains which carry vehicles and freight.

Unions met with bosses at 4.30pm on Thursday, at 6pm unions said they were “waiting for the management to get back to them with a serious offer” and by 7.30pm the strike was over.

According to French MP Alexandre Holroyd, France’s transport minister Clément Beaune personally intervened to help reach an agreement.

But thousands of journeys had already been disrupted.

Eurostar services between London and Paris but also London and Brussels and Amsterdam were also affected, as well as Shuttle car services.

Passengers at Gare du Nord and St Pancras stations reported a chaotic situation with little information. 

When will services resume?

Le Shuttle operators resumed services later on Thursday evening and night-time trains ran as normal.

However Eurostar had already cancelled its final services of the evening, so Eurostar resumes services on Friday. Eurostar says that it “anticipates normal service” on Friday, so people with prebooked Friday trains should travel to the station as normal.

What about rebooking?

For those whose journey has already been cancelled, rebooking options are limited by the fact that the Christmas travel period is already a very busy time.

Eurostar had already told passengers that it may not be possible to rebook them before Christmas, as many services on Friday and Saturday were booked out.

The company will add six extra services over Friday, Saturday and Sunday, in order to take people whose Thursday journey was disrupted. In total 30 services were cancelled on Thursday, so it’s unlikely that everyone will be able to secure a place on the extra trains. 

Le Shuttle usually has more flexibility and can load people onto the next available crossing – although long waits are still possible.

Cross-Channel ferry services still have tickets available.

France-UK Christmas travel – what are my options?

Both UK and French schools break up for the holidays on Friday, so Friday evening and Saturday were already expected to be some of the busiest travel days of the year.

How could they do this just before Christmas?

That’s kind of the point – French unions frequently call strikes for peak travel periods that cause maximum inconvenience, hoping that the additional pressure will cause bosses to cave in to their demands.

According to Getlink, “trade unions rejected a bonus of €1,000 end-of-year bonus announced by management and have called for a strike to demand it be tripled.”

The six unions representing Getlink staff said they had been warning bosses for months about “the terrible deterioration in the social climate” and called on them to share the wealth. 

Getlink in July recorded “historic” operating profits of €159 million – a 218 percent increase.

In the end, an agreement was reached relatively quickly, although not before thousands of people faced disrupted Christmas travel plans. 

“We’ve been sitting here at Calais for 3.5 hours,” said one Twitter uses named Andrew. “Totally shitty way to do industrial action by Eurotunnel staff. You can put pressure on your employer without screwing over families stuck in cars, trying to get home for Christmas without any warning.”

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Member comments

  1. Showing once more that well organised unions are the only way to stand up to unreasonable employers.
    Well done!

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For members

PARIS 2024 OLYMPICS

How Paris’s Olympic carpool lanes will work 

Throughout the Olympic and Paralympic Games periods, some 185km of lanes on roads around Paris will be reserved for event-related traffic – here’s what you need to know.

How Paris’s Olympic carpool lanes will work 

Between July 15th and September 11th, ‘Olympic lanes’ will be in use along certain stretches of key roads in and around Paris.

These lanes will be reserved for use by accredited vehicles to transport athletes, accredited journalists and official delegations, as well as emergency and security vehicles, cabs, ambulances and public transport.

READ ALSO Apps, reservations and flying taxis: What to know before visiting Paris this summer

The lanes will be activated on July 15, on the following roads:

  • A1 between Roissy Charles de Gaulle and Porte de la Chapelle, until September 11th;
  • A4 between Collégien and Porte de Bercy until August 13th, then from August 30th to September 8th;
  • A12 between Rocquencourt and Montigny le Bretonneux until August 13th, and again from August 27th to September 8th;
  • A13 between Porte Maillot and Rocquencourt until August 13th, then from August 27th to September 8th;
  • Boulevard périphérique, from Porte de Vanves to Porte de Bercy, via the north until August 13th, then from August 22th to September 11th;
  • Boulevard Circulaire (La Défense) until August 13th, then from August 22nd to September 11th;
  • Lanes on certain routes in Paris.

None of these roads will be closed – lanes along these routes that are not reserved for Olympic or Paralympic Games traffic are open to road users as usual.

The lanes in question will be signposted – signs, clearly marked with the words “Paris 2024”, will be in place from July 1st, and will be removed by the end of the day on September 15h. 

READ ALSO How to use Paris public transport during the Olympics

Who can use dedicated Olympic lanes?

Only vehicles and road users that have been properly accredited by the Organising Committee of the 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games can travel along these lanes during the periods indicated above. 

They include:

  • vehicles of accredited persons;
  • cabs;
  • public transport vehicles;
  • vehicles designed to facilitate the transport of people with reduced mobility;
  • and emergency and security vehicles.

READ ALSO Who needs a QR code to get around Paris during the Olympics

All other vehicles are prohibited from using these lanes throughout the Olympic Games period. Any vehicle circulating on an Olympic lane without having received prior authorisation is liable to a fine of €135 and possible further prosecution.

Road users without Olympic accreditation are advised to be aware of possible travel issues, as more vehicles are filtered into the other lanes. Therefore it would be wise to allow a little extra time for your journey if you are using one of the listed roads during the Games period.

An interactive map, showing routes with Olympic lanes is available here

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