Eurostar faces questions from union after December debacle
by Katie Lamborn
Eurostar bosses have come under attack from their own staff, who
who want answers to questions raised by the the snow
disruption in December.
Eurostar suffered a rash of bad publicity after four trains
broke down in the Channel Tunnel after running through heavy snow
and freezing conditions in France. Many were trapped for hours and
it took days before the firm's services got back to normal.
Members of rail union RMT who work for Eurostar have sent a
letter to the company outlining their concerns, following the
trouble between December 18 and 22.
- They want to know why it took eight hours to get one of
the stranded trains out.
- Why, once trains were outside the tunnel, it took four
hours for any contingency plans to kick in.
- Why it was decided to keep trains overnight in the Calais area
rather than sending them back to Lille, Paris or
Brussels.
RMT General Secretary Bob Crow said:"We are calling for an
emergency meeting between the company and RMT representatives to
examine these critical issues."
Eurostar said:"Safety is of paramount importance for both
staff and passengers and it would not operate unless it has
complete confidence that safety is being observed across its entire
business."
The international rail operator said many of those
questions will be answered in their Independent Review, to be
released next week.
Friday, February 05 2010