EUROSTAR services have restarted following the major fire in the Channel Tunnel on 11 September — but a reduced timetable will operate, possibly for several weeks, and journey times will be extended.

Investigators have now ruled out sabotage as the cause of the fire — on the seventh anniversary of the attacks on the World Trade Centre and the Pentagon in the United States — and blamed it on an overheating braking system of a lorry being transported on a ‘le Shuttle’ ferry train.

Reports suggest that much of the train and other lorries being ferried through from England to France were destroyed in a fire reported to have exceeded 1,000 degrees Celsius (1,830 Fahrenheit).

The Channel Tunnel has now reopened— but only with single line working in the south running tunnel at the French end.

This means a big reduction in the number of Eurostar services that can be operated — at a time when Eurostar has been recording a large increase in passengers since the high-speed line from London and the new terminal at St Pancras International opened ten months ago.

Euriostar said it is operating a temporary, reduced timetable.

It expects to run up to 12 trains each way between London and Paris, up to six trains each way between London and Brussels, and the daily service each way between London and Disneyland Resort Paris. Trains will also serve Ashford International, Ebbsfleet International and Lille.

The company added: “Ticket holders should turn up at the normal time for their scheduled service, and Eurostar will seek to accommodate them on the first available train. This is likely to mean longer than normal waiting times before departure. Journey times will also be longer than normal.

“Inevitably, there will be further alterations to this limited timetable, as Eurostar adjusts its services to match the reduced tunnel capacity.”