UK: Passengers had to be evacuated after a Eurotunnel train broke down under the English Channel.

They were taken on a cargo train, but complained of spending nearly five hours trapped in a submerged tunnel due to problems with the new transport.

An early breakdown late on Tuesday resulted in hundreds of passengers being taken into a service tunnel, affecting the Eurotunnel LE shuttle service from the French city of Calais to Folkestone on England's southeast coast at 3.50am.

Social media videos showed tourists passing through an alternate tunnel, some suitcases and dogs, as they traveled the 50-kilometre (31-mile) rail route between Britain and France.

As a result of gridlock at the shuttle terminal until late Tuesday evening, passengers in Calais were advised to avoid the terminal until 6 a.m. on Wednesday.

According to a spokesperson for Eurotunnel Le Shuttle, a train broke down in the tunnel, so customers were being transferred to a different passenger shuttle via the service tunnel to return to Folkestone Terminal.

We sincerely apologize for the inconvenience. We advise against traveling to the terminal tonight due to earlier train problems. Tomorrow, please arrive after 6 am.

One of the passengers on the evacuated train, Michael Harrison from Cranbrook, Kent, south-east England, said: "We arrived at the crossing at 3.50 a.m., in about 10 minutes, the lights went out and the train stopped.

“We were told they needed to check for a problem with the wheels. It took about an hour and a half to look at them, and they apparently couldn’t find anything. They started after five minutes and everything reset Did it, he claimed.

When it happened again, we waited for a few more hours before learning that he didn't see a problem and had to transfer the train to another location. We exited the train through the Emergency Link Tunnel and after a long wait entered the Service Tunnel.

Then, according to him, the passengers walked for about 10 minutes till another train, which also stopped due to lack of traction. "When it was announced, there were stunned gasps. After leaving the ship, it took us six hours to reach Folkestone.

Many were concerned about being down in the service tunnel, a strange place, said another empty passenger, who wished to remain anonymous.

We were stuck there for at least five hours, he continued. If I had one complaint, it would be that there was nothing for us here, although they knew that several hundred people who hadn't eaten in five, six or more hours were reaching Folkestone. Just long lines at Burger King.

Calais' delay forced journalist Bruce Atkinson to post on Twitter: "Sitting in the boarding queue at Calais, not knowing how long we'll wait. I've been here for four hours.

We've been in a trap for more than four hours, Jonelle Schwarz further said on Twitter. If any information was provided early, we would not have fallen into the trap in the first place.

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