Thousands of passengers have seen their New Year's Eve plans thrown into disarray as severe disruption continues to plague Eurostar services. The international rail operator was forced to cancel multiple routes between London and Europe on Tuesday following a dual infrastructure failure.
A Nightmare Journey for Stranded Passengers
The initial chaos was triggered by an overhead power supply fault in the Channel Tunnel, compounded by a broken-down LeShuttle train. While limited services resumed on a single line last night, Eurostar reported "further issues with rail infrastructure overnight" leading to more cancellations this morning.
One traveller, Francis Collings, shared his harrowing experience with Sky News after believing he was fortunate to board a 7pm service from St Pancras to Paris on Wednesday. His train, delayed until 8:45pm, ground to a halt outside Folkestone around 9:15pm and remained stationary for hours.
"We have lighting, but it's low lighting, but this seems to have affected the toilets, which don't seem to want to flush," Mr Collings explained after the power was turned off around 11pm. He praised staff for being "very attentive" in handing out water but noted it appeared they did not know "entirely what's going on themselves."
Ongoing Disruption and Conflicting Causes
Getlink, the firm operating the Channel Tunnel, stated the original power supply incident was resolved overnight and full capacity restored. However, they indicated the incident involving Mr Collings's train on the British network was unrelated.
Despite services resuming, Eurostar's website warns passengers that knock-on impacts from the earlier chaos could still cause significant delays and last-minute cancellations today. The first scheduled departure from St Pancras at 6:01am was axed.
Meanwhile, travellers using the Eurotunnel in Calais face separate misery, with warnings of delays stretching up to six hours.
Passengers Urged to Check Before Travelling
Eurostar is strongly urging all customers with bookings to check the latest travel information on its website before heading to stations. The operator plans to run all scheduled services but acknowledges the network remains fragile.
The combined incidents have created a travel disaster at one of the busiest times of the year, impacting thousands and turning New Year's Eve celebrations into a logistical nightmare for many.
