Wednesday, March 7, 2012

Commercial Trains: Macca's Eurostar nightmare: Sir Paul stranded on broken-down train for six hours after watching daughter Stella's Paris Fashion Week show

From the Daily Mail: Macca's Eurostar nightmare: Sir Paul stranded on broken-down train for six hours after watching daughter Stella's Paris Fashion Week show
# Beatles legend was stuck on train with wife Nancy Shevell and fashion designer daughter Stella
# Sir Paul 'laughed and joked' with passengers and signed dozens of autographs
# Eight trains were cancelled as faulty cable saw travellers trapped on trains for up to 11 hours
# Disruption came as Paris Fashion Week gets under way
# Model Laura Bailey, tweeted: ‘Love affair with Eurostar officially over. Love affair with Paris will never die'

Beatles legend Sir Paul McCartney was among the thousands of Eurostar passengers caught up in massive delays on the London to Paris rail route.

Sir Paul was stuck on a broken-down train for six hours with his 51-year-old wife, Nancy Shevell, and daughter Stella, as they returned to Britain after attending Paris Fashion Week.

The rock star, who was returning to the capital on Monday night after watching 40-year-old fashion designer Stella's show, found himself stranded in the French countryside after heavy snow caused a power cable to collapse.

Far from being enraged by the 'vile' conditions on board, the 69-year-old 'laughed and joked' with passengers in his carriage and signed dozens of autographs, it was reported.

A source told the Mirror: 'It was a pretty hideous situation but Sir Paul was on fine form. 'He had a laugh and a joke as he chatted with the passengers in his cabin and he signed dozens of autographs.

Sir Paul was just one of thousands of travellers caught up in the cross-Channel rail chaos.

Eurostar passengers - including catwalk models - yesterday told of their ‘hellish’ journeys after a faulty with an overhead power cable delayed services by up to 11 hours.

Those travelling between London and Paris were worst hit, with some stranded in the Channel Tunnel without food or light.

Others said they arrived in the French capital at 1am with no hotel room, but the only accommodation made available to them was in a stationary train.

Last night Eurostar cancelled four trains and slowed the rest and today another four trains were cancelled.

Poppy Delevingne, the 24-year-old Vogue cover girl, told her 10,000 followers she was ‘deliriously tired’ after her disrupted journey to Paris fashion week.

Laura Bailey, the 39-year-old former face of Marks & Spencer, used her account on the social networking site Twitter to say: ‘Love affair with Eurostar officially over. Love affair with Paris will never die.'

Designer Henry Holland was less optimistic, writing simply: 'Eurostar DISASTER'.

Meanwhile, Sophia Abdel, a 19-year-old student, said: ‘I got to London at midnight after 10 hours and 23 minutes on the train. I was mad, tired and annoyed.

‘On the train there was no electricity, no food, it was dark. I just had to sit and wait. The staff didn’t do anything. I was supposed to be in London for study reasons but I’m going back to Paris today because I just want to be in my home.’

Kandy Woodfield, who travelled on the same train to London described the journey as ‘hellish’, adding: ‘The bar has made an absolute killing. I think it is terrible. There are elderly people and young children on board.’

Hundreds of exhausted passengers were given emergency accommodation on two TGV trains when they finally reached Paris so they could rest after missing their connections.

Laurent Girard, who was on his way to the Alps with friends, said: ‘It’s pretty depressing spending 10 hours on a train and then being told you can rest in another train. None of us got any sleep at all — it was awful. We’re all completely sick of trains now.

It is not the first time that world-famous models have suffered ordeals on the Eurostar.

In 2009 London-based German star Claudia Schiffer was among thousands left without food, water, lighting or air conditioning in the Channel Tunnel.

But while others were left stranded, a car was sent to pick Ms Schiffer up from the entrance of the tunnel after she was escorted there by staff.

A spokesman for the Gare du Nord in the French capital confirmed that two TGVs were made available for people to sleep in.

‘We didn’t get in to Paris until 1.30am and so were put on train to sleep,’ said Mike Adams, 43, who was on his way to a skiing holiday in the Alps.

‘There were a lot of others in the same position as us – we were completely stranded without hotel rooms,’ said Mr Adams.

‘The French put on heated trains, giving us blankets and some packed dinners. We didn’t sleep much, but others seemed to get their heads down. When staff arrived to clean the trains at around 5am we all had to get off.’

Laurent Girard, who was also on his way to the Alps with a group of friends, said: ‘It’s pretty depressing spending 10 hours on a train and then being told you can rest in another train.

‘None of us got any sleep at all – it was awful. We’re all completely sick of trains now.’

The Gare du Nord spokesman said hotel rooms were originally made available to families with children, but ‘soon ran out’.

Instead two TGV high speed trains became temporary dormitories for the stranded.

A Eurostar spokeswoman confirmed that the delays were all caused by an EDF power cable which collapsed in the snow.

She said: ‘The good news is everything is running as normal this morning. We are not expecting more problems with the power cable.

‘There was quite a severe impact on train services and we were doing everything we could to keep the train moving but it wasn't something that was in our control.

‘Our trains do carry supplies for this kind of thing so they would have been given some sort of refreshment but it wasn't going to be the most comfortable journey. We are very sorry for any inconvenience caused.’

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