Eurotunnel delays 01/07/2015

ValDa
ValDa Forum Participant Posts: 3,004 ✭✭
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edited July 2016 in Overseas Campsites & Touring #1

Due to a broken down train, passengers waiting to cross on Eurotunnel are having to wait anything up to five hours. Guess who's booked on Eurotunnel tomorrow morning - with a deadline to pick up our caravan Saturday night!



This is the latest information bulletin from Eurotunnel:



Folkestone terminal:

Our passenger service is currently operating with some timetable disruption, this is due to earlier cancellations. There is a waiting time of approximately 4 hours on the terminal. We regret that we are currently unable to sell tickets to non reserved
customers. 

We sincerely apologise for the inconvenience this will cause to your journey. 

Calais terminal:

Our passenger service is currently operating with up to 2 departures per hour. There is currently no waiting time before check-in, however due to an earlier cancellation, there is a waiting time of approximately 30 minutes on the terminal. 

We sincerely apologise for the inconvenience this will cause to your journey. 



Last Updated 01/07/2016 - 18:55   (GMT +1hr)



Important Travel Information Friday 1st July

Due to delays to our service from Folkestone today, we strongly recommend that you postpone your journey to an alternative date; to do this, please e-mail sales.support at eurotunnel.com.



For customers travelling via our French Terminal during June and July 2016

Following reinforced security checks and to assure your safety by avoiding traffic queues back to the motorway, it is likely that there will be a short diversion to our pre check-in Waiting Area from now until early July. It is very important that you
still plan to arrive at check-in at your pre-advised check-in time (according to your booked departure time), as any queue to check-in will be taken into account. Please have your passports or ID cards to hand and open at photo page before arriving at Border
Controls.



Flexiplus customers should ensure booking confirmation is to hand in either paper or electronic form so that you can proceed directly to check-in when you arrive.



Cite d'europe access 27th June-4th July

Due to roadworks in place, customers exiting our Calais terminal and wishing to visit Cite d'europe will need to use the A16 motorway, take the 1st exit and follow signs to Cite d'europe.

Comments

  • Bakers2
    Bakers2 Forum Participant Posts: 8,199 ✭✭✭
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    edited July 2016 #2

    Oh ValDa I do hope it all works out for you. Fingers crossed 

  • ValDa
    ValDa Forum Participant Posts: 3,004 ✭✭
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    edited July 2016 #3

    I'm not holding out much hope!  I've just emailed Eurotunnel who say 'they will reply within seven days' and if your query is more urgent please phone our Customer Services team.  They are closed until 8.00 am tomorrow - ten minutes after our expected departure time!

    You would think that with these problems, they would have someone available to answer queries!

  • Bakers2
    Bakers2 Forum Participant Posts: 8,199 ✭✭✭
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    edited July 2016 #4

    Customer service is just wobdetful sometimes!  Are you driving down in the morning or already nearby?

  • Bakers2
    Bakers2 Forum Participant Posts: 8,199 ✭✭✭
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    edited July 2016 #5

    Thinking back to 7pm news they said they thought all the football fansd had got through. They were saying 90 minute check in delay and 2 hour train delay. Don't know if this info is still valid or even any use, other than to make you cry

  • Bakers2
    Bakers2 Forum Participant Posts: 8,199 ✭✭✭
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    edited July 2016 #6

    Whoops doing a Malcolm

  • ValDa
    ValDa Forum Participant Posts: 3,004 ✭✭
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    edited July 2016 #7

    We're staying overnight at my son's.  I've just picked all his raspberries as he's away.  We're waiting for my other son to join us - but he set off much later, after finishing work.

    Hopefully by the morning it may be better - but I think we'll get up earlier than planned, and if there are long queues we'll drive on to Dover instead.

  • Olliedays
    Olliedays Forum Participant Posts: 29
    edited July 2016 #8

    Generally speaking all the info you need is on their website or Twitter feed.

    When they have a delay they tend to pick up quickly and normal service resumes overnight.

    Delay showing as 2hours now so might be normal by midnight.

  • IanH
    IanH Forum Participant Posts: 4,708
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    edited July 2016 #9

    This is dreadful.

    Given that many people book Eurotunnel because of the 40 minute crossing and the ability to check in less than an hour prior to departure, how much refund do they give if it takes several hours to get across?

     

  • IanH
    IanH Forum Participant Posts: 4,708
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    edited July 2016 #10

    Hope you are able to give us an update, ValDa and that things have improved.....

    The update on the Eurotunnel web site certainly looks promising - no mention of delays. Smile

  • DavidKlyne
    DavidKlyne Club Member Posts: 13,872 ✭✭✭
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    edited July 2016 #11

    We faced a similar situation. The day before our return journey on the Tunnel there were similar long delays. However the next day we arrived at the French terminal and actually got on an earlier Shuttle so these things can change quite quickly. 

    David

  • DORMAN12Q
    DORMAN12Q Forum Participant Posts: 90
    edited July 2016 #12

    I hope you have a good trip , but I wouldnt be over keen on telling the world that your away from home at the moment.

     

  • HughR
    HughR Forum Participant Posts: 67
    edited July 2016 #13

    We travelled through the Tunnel on Saturday. We were booked on the 1420 train arrived at terminal at 1145 ( missed M20 holdups by using M2) and got the 1250 train even tho 1 Hr delays were being stated. Hopefully Valid was similar earlier in the day.

     

  • ValDa
    ValDa Forum Participant Posts: 3,004 ✭✭
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    edited July 2016 #14

    Just to report back, we had no problems getting our booked crossing at 7.50 am, and set off about five minutes late.  My son's crossing was at 8.30 and his crossing was twenty minutes late.  We still not heard from Eurotunnel!!

    We also picked up our caravan from the 'abandoned storage site' without a problem, courtesy of a lovely French lady, Giselle.  This was just another worry about the start of this holiday.  We were straight off at 4.00 pm and had an overnight stop at
    Chateauroux Rochat La Belle Isle - a great site for an overnight stop because it has a lot of 'reinforced pitches'.



    We are now on a riverside pitch at Les Peupliers in the Tarn, having arrived here about 4.00 pm yesterday. The site is only about 30% full on the touring pitches, and we have a lovely view over the river. So much so that we may be staying until the end
    of the week when it does start to get booked up. Camping Cheques prices too, including free WiFi!  Taking the canoe out this afternoong, and sitting in glorious sunshine watching the fish in the river and the vultures overhead.

  • DavidKlyne
    DavidKlyne Club Member Posts: 13,872 ✭✭✭
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    edited July 2016 #15

    Val

    Did Eurotunnel not text you with information on any delays. We have had such texts but I am not altogether sure what use they are as we usually only notice them when we are inline waiting to join the train!!!

    David

  • ValDa
    ValDa Forum Participant Posts: 3,004 ✭✭
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    edited July 2016 #16

    Hi David, yes we got a text at 07.21 am - just as we'd been directed towards the train!  Then we got another at 08.46 - whilst in France!

    Here's this afternoon's email from Eurotunnel:

    Thank you for your email.



    We are sorry for the delay in responding to you,but our Sales Support Department is closed over the weekend. Opening times are:Monday to Friday between 09:00 and 17:30. 

    We can see you have travelled out already on the 02/07/2016 ref: (our refer number)



    Please do not hesitate to contact us with any future queries.

    The point is that in these circumstances some people may have really urgent reasons for wanting a particular timed crossing, and they really ought to have a contingency plan of at least a filltered emergency number, where you input your reference number,
    and those booked within 24 hours get to speak to 'a real person' not an answerphone telling you that they are only open office hours and no one will be there until after you may have already missed your crossing!  In our circumstances, if we knew there was
    a six hour delay as there had been the previous day, we would booked a ferry, rather than waited so long for a Eurotunnel crossing.

  • IanH
    IanH Forum Participant Posts: 4,708
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    edited July 2016 #17

    Good to hear your crossing went to plan, ValDa.....

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