Passengers were left stranded on a train for four hours outside St Pancras station on Wednesday after a Eurostar train broke down. Around 250 commuters were stuck in a tunnel when the Eurostar service, which was carrying no passengers, ground to a halt.
The incident caused severe delays for thousands of others travelling between London and Kent. Many missed flights or connecting trains to the continent, while others had to redirect to Stratford and continue their journey on the Tube, where temperatures have soared past 30°C in recent days.
When a Southeastern train attempted to reverse back towards Kent, it also broke down. The disruption came after a record-breaking 35°C day in London on Tuesday, the hottest May day ever recorded. Temperatures on Wednesday were lower but still very warm for May, with a high of 27°C expected.
Scott Brightwell, safety, planning and performance director at Southeastern Rail, apologised to affected customers and urged those delayed by 15 minutes or more to claim delay repay. He said: 'A Eurostar and a Southeastern train developed faults on the approach to the station, which reduced the number of lines available and meant fewer services were able to run.'
A Eurostar spokesperson said: 'Earlier this morning, a Eurostar train carrying no passengers, along with another domestic train, experienced technical issues near Stratford. Due to the knock-on impact on the timetable, Eurostar services departing from St Pancras International are experiencing some delays. Refreshments are being provided to customers at the station.'
