The UK Foreign and Commonwealth Development Office (FCDO) issued a travel warning on Monday, 6 July 2026, following a fire near Rotterdam Central station that has severely disrupted Eurostar services between the United Kingdom and the Netherlands. The blaze, which occurred on 29 June near Rotterdam Stadion, caused a major power failure that shut down rail traffic south of Rotterdam.
Fire Causes Power Failure and Cancellations
Last Monday, multiple London–Amsterdam services were canceled after a fire broke out in a cable duct near Rotterdam Stadion. The resulting power failure disabled signaling and switch systems between Rotterdam Centraal and destinations including Dordrecht and Breda. Eurostar advised that trains would be disrupted until at least 6 July 2026, with travel times significantly longer due to alternative routes and seat availability very limited.
Passenger Impact and Reactions
One affected passenger wrote online: "Completely messed up my travel plans, ended up getting the ferry." Another added: "We had to take the coach to Brussels. I hope we will get our refund." The disruption has forced many travelers to seek alternative transport options, including ferries and coaches.
FCDO Statement and Advice
The FCDO statement read: "Eurostar services between the UK and the Netherlands are severely disrupted following a fire near Rotterdam Central station. Eurostar has advised that they expect trains to be disrupted until at least 6 July 2026. Travel times are expected to be significantly longer due to trains having to take alternative routes due to fire damage and trains between London and Amsterdam will not stop in Rotterdam. If you are planning to travel between the UK and the Netherlands, check the latest information with your travel operator before you travel and the latest updates on the Eurostar website."
Eurostar Apologizes and Provides Details
Eurostar issued a statement: "Due to fire damage to the railway near Rotterdam, we expect our trains to be disrupted until at least 6 July 2026. Trains running between London and Amsterdam will not stop at Rotterdam and trains running between France/Belgium and Amsterdam will not stop at Schiphol or Rotterdam. As these trains need to take an alternative route around the damaged area, journey times will be significantly longer, and seat availability is very limited. We expect the disruption to last until at least 06 July 2026. We apologise for the inconvenience the situation has caused."
Additional Travel Advice for Greece
The FCDO also updated travel advice for Greece on 2 July 2026, warning that "terrorists are likely to try to carry out attacks in Greece." While there is no current advice against travel to Greece, the FCDO noted that "attacks could be indiscriminate, including in places visited by foreign nationals." The advisory highlighted that there have been several attacks involving explosives and automatic weapons against Greek institutions, shopping malls, banks, media offices, diplomatic premises, and the police. On 1 July, three improvised incendiary device attacks against residential properties of Greek political figures killed one person and injured four others.
