A British wheelchair user's journey home from Brussels turned into a logistical nightmare after a catastrophic error by Eurostar staff saw him stranded in the wrong country, over 100 kilometres from his intended destination.
Gareth Shepherd, 52, had meticulously planned his return to London St Pancras after a business trip. As a wheelchair user, he had pre-booked assistance for his Eurostar journey from Brussels. However, upon arriving at the station, he was reportedly ushered onto a service bound for Rotterdam-Centraal in the Netherlands, not London.
The horrifying realisation only dawned upon him after the train had departed. "I was in a state of complete panic," Mr. Shepherd recounted. "I kept asking staff, but they just assured me everything was fine. It wasn't until we were moving and I heard announcements for Dutch stations that I understood the colossal mistake."
A Costly and Distressing Ordeal
Upon his unscheduled arrival in Rotterdam, Mr. Shepherd faced a gruelling and expensive seven-hour wait for a return train to Brussels. The return journey, for which he was forced to purchase a new ticket, meant he missed his original connecting service home to London.
The incident highlights a severe failing in the assistance protocols for passengers with reduced mobility. "The system failed me completely," Shepherd stated. "The very assistance that was meant to help me ended up causing immense distress and putting me in a vulnerable position in a foreign city."
Eurostar's Response and Passenger Outrage
While Eurostar has apologised and refunded the cost of his additional tickets, Mr. Shepherd and disability advocates argue this is insufficient. The stress, lost time, and the sheer breach of trust have left a lasting impact.
This incident has ignited fresh concerns over the treatment of disabled travellers on international rail services. Advocacy groups are calling for a full review of Eurostar's procedures to ensure such a "shocking failure" is never repeated, demanding better training for staff and more robust checks for assisted travel.
