London: Eurostar rejected on Saturday claims it breached safety rules when evacuating passengers from cross-Channel trains that broke down last weekend, as a row erupted with Eurotunnel over the controversy.
Eurotunnel on Friday accused Eurostar staff of failing to follow safety rules when removing people from the high-speed trains that broke down in the tunnel between Britain and France, sparking passenger confusion and anger.
But Eurostar hit back Saturday, saying passenger safety was not compromised "at any time," adding that an independent review into the December 18 incident would "establish the truth once and for all."
"Whilst the circumstances in the trains delayed in the tunnel were obviously uncomfortable and distressing, passengers' safety was not compromised at any time," it said in a statement.
"We are concerned that Eurotunnel has misunderstood the nature of the independent review which has the backing of both the British and French governments ... and will establish the truth once and for all," it said.
"In our view they should allow the panel of experts to get on with the review and let the facts speak for themselves."
Eurotunnel, the tunnel operator, on Friday strongly rejected suggestions that it contributed to the chaos when 2,000 passengers were trapped for a night in five trains.
Some passengers spent 17 hours trapped in the tunnel when their trains broke down, due to short circuits caused by snow filtering into the engine compartments and melting once the trains entered the tunnel.
"We have, here and there, been unjustly suspected of not acting as we should have done" after the breakdown, Eurotunnel said in a statement.
Eurotunnel said the time it took to evacuate the passengers "was unfortunately extended because the Eurostar teams, in complete violation of the safety procedures, asked passengers to take their bags with them."
Eurotunnel also criticised Eurostar's communications with the passengers.
"Although in continued contact with our teams, it is clear that the Eurostar teams obviously did not give the right information to passengers."
The statement added that this had "led to a movement of worry" in the affected trains where the passengers had no food or water.
Eurostar has admitted a communications failure and promised refunds to passengers but also laid some blame on Eurotunnel which it said was responsible for evacuating trains and relaying information to passengers in the tunnel.
Eurotunnel defended its workers' efforts during the crisis.
"All the evidence shows that Eurotunnel was not the cause of the breakdowns and not responsible for Eurostar's customer relations, and that our teams worked quickly and professionally outside of their normal roles," Eurotunnel said, noting that some of its staff voluntarily helped Eurostar customers.
Responding to accusations of a lack of communication between its crisis management centre and the trains, Eurotunnel said the chain was never broken.
"If this had not been the case, the complex rescue operations could not have been carried out in complete safety," Eurotunnel said.
Eurotunnel said it would do everything it could to help Eurostar overcome the crisis, and pointed out that the two companies have worked together for 15 years on the rail link between Britain and continental Europe.
A France-British Intergovernmental Commission that supervises traffic through the tunnel on Thursday said that neither operator had provided enough information to the passengers.
The commission called on Eurostar and Eurotunnel to improve their communication and to "cooperate fully" with investigations into the breakdown which caused the travel chaos in Britain and France.
Bureau Report
First Published: Saturday, December 26, 2009, 11:01