London TravelWatch, the watchdog for passengers in London, has said the independent inquiry findings into the severe disruption of Eurostar services late last year, showed that passengers were not considered properly and there was extremely poor communication.

Janet Cooke, Chief Executive, London TravelWatch, who was interviewed for the inquiry, said: “Some of the report’s findings are shocking - particularly in respect of the conditions on some of the delayed trains. The handling of delayed and evacuated passengers was clearly not handled properly and the provision of information and communication with passengers was woeful.”

The report found that Eurostar’s emergency procedures were inadequate, and has recommended that call centres remain open in an emergency, as well as providing a free or cheap number for passengers to use, and that information must be updated and conveyed to passengers better. It also recommended that Eurostar provide much better information at stations and on alternative routes.

Janet Cooke continued: “We urge Eurostar to learn the lessons from this report to ensure that any disruption in the future is kept to a minimum. We are disappointed that there is no timescale set for these improvements, and urge Eurostar to implement them without delay. We do not want to see passengers let down so badly again.”

Our response to the Eurostar inquiry can be found here.

For media enquiries, please contact the London TravelWatch press office on 020 7726 9953 or 07734 055494.

The voice of London's transport users
12 February 2010