Eurostar has warned passengers of potential continued disruption, despite services restarting after a major power failure in the Channel Tunnel caused travel chaos. The incident led to the cancellation of all London to mainland Europe services on Tuesday, stranding thousands of travellers.
Power Failure Halts Cross-Channel Travel
The disruption began on Tuesday when an overhead power supply fault, combined with a broken-down LeShuttle train, blocked all routes through the Channel Tunnel. Operator Getlink confirmed the incident, stating it "affected train and shuttle traffic". In response, Eurostar was forced to axe all its services from London to Europe for the day.
Limited services only recommenced on a single operational line on Tuesday evening. Eurostar then reported facing "further issues with rail infrastructure overnight", leading to ongoing problems. The first scheduled departure on Wednesday from London's St Pancras to Paris Gare du Nord, set for 6.01am, was cancelled.
Passengers Endure Lengthy Ordeals
The chaos left thousands of passengers facing severe delays and difficult conditions. At St Pancras, Eurostar staff distributed water bottles to waiting passengers behind cordons. On the roads, vehicles queueing for the Eurotunnel created significant tailbacks approaching the Folkestone terminal.
The situation was particularly grim for some LeShuttle passengers. Traveller Tim Brown reported being stranded in his vehicle on a train at the Calais terminal for over three hours with "no access to food or water". Mr Brown, returning from Germany with his dogs, expressed shock that basic provisions were not offered, stating: "I know things happen, but surely that would be an easy way to help."
Knock-On Delays Expected
In a statement on its website, Eurostar said: "We plan to run all of our services today, however due to knock-on impacts there may still be some delays and possible last-minute cancellations." The company apologised for the disruption, which it described as outside its control, and encouraged passengers to rebook for a different day where possible.
LeShuttle services were also severely impacted. After warning of six-hour holdups at Folkestone on Tuesday, delays there reduced to around 30 minutes by Wednesday morning. However, six-hour queues persisted in Calais, with passengers advised to check in at their original scheduled times.
Eurostar continues to urge all customers to check the latest travel information before heading to stations and has pledged to support passengers with rescheduling their bookings.
