Paris  - Traffic in the fire-damaged Channel Tunnel could resume as early as Saturday, but the Eurostar service linking Paris and London will depend on a green light from an intergovernmental safety commission, the French rail network SNCF said Friday.

"(Eurostar) traffic will only resume in the tube not damaged by the fire," the SNCF said in a statement issued in Paris.

"This traffic will be very reduced the entire weekend, with longer than normal transit times."

Traffic in the tunnel connecting France and Britain was halted after a lorry being transported on a shuttle train caught fire early Friday and burned for more than 16 hours, stranding tens of thousands of travellers.

The SNCF recommended that travellers holding Eurostar tickets for the weekend postpone their trips and offered to exchange them for tickets at a later date or to give a full refund.

Eurostar traffic will also be reduced in the coming week, the SNCF said. Schedules are available on the internet at eurostar. com. (dpa)