Train services have been facing continuous disruptions since the outbreak of a devastating fire in the channel tunnel that saw the evacuation of 32 people from the site. The recent statement made by the Euro Tunnel Operator has estimated that the repair works undertaken to set right the damages caused to the north tunnel by the fire would be somewhere around £46.8 million. On account of the disruption in rail services, Eurostar has been implementing a revised timetable. In addition, journeys at present are taking 20 minutes longer than usual.

Due to the delays in service, the operator has lost the time gained while opening the high-speed link in November 2007 to connect London"s St Pancras station and Channel tunnel in November 2007. On its launch, the new high-speed link significantly reduced the journey time between London and Paris to about two hours and 13 minutes thereby causing a considerable surge in passenger demand. The launch of this service affected airlines serving the same route.

In related news, there was a short strike by port control officers on the French side leading to disruption in ferry service between Dover and Calais. The walkout by the port officer was expected to last for 24 hours. However, it ended within 8 hours of its start after which both SeaFrance and P&O could resume their ferry operations. Though a short one, the strike resulted in lorries found queued on the M20. The Kent Police had to implement Operation Stack, their standard response to cross-channel service disruptions.