Eurostar cancelled all its train services on Tuesday after a major disruption in the Channel Tunnel caused delays and cancellations during the busy holiday travel period.
The operator said services were severely affected by a problem with the overhead power supply in the tunnel, compounded by a failed Le Shuttle train blocking the line. All Eurostar trains to and from London were cancelled, with services between London St Pancras and Paris, Brussels and Amsterdam suspended.
In a statement on its website, Eurostar wrote, “We strongly advise all our passengers to postpone their journey to a different date,” adding that trains still running could face severe delays and last-minute cancellations. The company said staff were helping passengers with rebooking and that alternative travel options, including ferries, were being explored. There was no confirmed timeline for the resumption of services, though Wednesday’s trains were, for now, expected to run as scheduled.
National Rail issues travel warning
National Rail issued similar guidance, warning that journeys between London St Pancras International and Paris Gare du Nord were likely to remain disrupted throughout the day. By late afternoon, several services in both directions had been cancelled. The disruption comes at one of the busiest travel periods of the year, between Christmas and New Year, leaving thousands of passengers affected.
As reported by the BBC, large crowds gathered near the departures area at London St Pancras International after Eurostar warned of major disruption and urged passengers to postpone their journeys. Kelly North and Bethany Massey-Chase, whose train to Paris was cancelled, told the BBC that staff described the issue as “a blocking in the tunnel”.
“They’ve just said all services are cancelled,” Kelly said, regardless of some services still being listed as running on the Eurostar website.
The pair said they were not given clear information on timings. Bethany told the BBC they were not told “anything specific about times”, only that “everyone with a booking today needs to move it”.
“People are still waiting here. I think they’re still expecting that they’ll get on, but there’s nothing happening,” Kelly told BBC.
Rebooking rush adds to stress
Bethany said they managed to secure seats for the following day. “We’ve been lucky and scored one [a train] for tomorrow, but we’ve had to get on really quick because they’re all booking out,” she told BBC. “Everyone’s a bit stressed, they’re all asking for help,” Kelly explained to BBC.
Bethany also said younger passengers were helping others with rebooking. “All the youngies are stepping in and helping out less technologically-confident travellers with navigating re-booking their trains online,” she said.