'Passengers should never again endure this'

Passengers were stranded when trains in the tunnel broke down

The report said Eurostar had not prepared properly for snow which caused five trains to break down, and it had to "improvise" as it had no plan to deal with such an emergency.

Passengers, including youngsters and expectant mothers returning from Disneyland Paris, had to contend with darkness, extreme heat, hunger and a lack of information.

On the stranded "Disney train", with 664 people on board, parents had to strip their children down to underclothes and nappies because of the heat.

Later, having transferred to a Eurotunnel passenger shuttle in the tunnel, the same passengers were confronted with cold and dirty conditions, with "pregnant women and small children having to sit on greasy floors or lean against the side of the carriage".

Toilets on this train overflowed, forcing passengers to designate one carriage an open toilet area.

Conditions on this shuttle were "appalling" and Eurostar had been "found wanting", said Christopher Garnett, a former GNER East Coast Main Line boss who produced the independent report with French transport expert Claude Gressier.

Making 21 recommendations, including train modifications, improved communications and better emergency plans, the two men said: "Passengers must not go through this again."

Some travellers took as long as 17 hours to complete their journeys and Eurostar had to cancel all services on 19, 20 and 21 December before resuming a reduced operation on 22 December.

Following the publication of the report, Eurostar said it had modified its trains and more work on them was being done. The company was spending 30 million, including 12 million on a new communication system.

Eurostar chief executive Richard Brown said: "I know we let our passengers down before Christmas and I am determined to put things right."

Transport Secretary Lord Adonis said "too many passengers were left to endure appalling conditions" while rail customer watchdog Passenger Focus said the report confirmed "how badly passengers were let down".

The report said that, in reviewing the causes of the breakdown of the trains, it had become apparent standard winter-weather procedures followed by Eurostar were "not suited to the actual weather conditions experienced".

The report added that the problems of snow getting into the trains' works and the build-up of condensation when passing into the warm tunnel from the cold outside "were not fully recognised at the time when the Eurostar power cars were being designed".

The report told of hours of confusion and further delays and frustrations for passengers through the night and into the morning before they could get home.

Some failed to understand French-accented announcements, others felt that they were being held "captive", and many complained about lack of food and information.

The report said Eurostar should have been better prepared for the disruption, and reacted earlier.

'Passengers should never again endure this' – bungling Eurostar slated