The UK Foreign Office has issued an urgent alert for British travellers heading to France, warning them to expect major disruption following a significant incident in the Channel Tunnel.
Power Cut Halts Cross-Channel Traffic
The travel chaos began after a power supply failure forced the complete closure of the Channel Tunnel. The operator, Getlink, confirmed an incident related to the power supply to trains occurred, affecting all train and shuttle traffic. This led to Eurostar axing all its London-to-Europe departures for the day on 30 December.
Eurotunnel LeShuttle services, which transport vehicles and their passengers, were also suspended in both directions. A broken-down LeShuttle train was later removed from the tunnel, with the firm confirming that no passengers were left stranded inside following the initial outage.
Foreign Office Updates Travel Advice
In direct response to the unfolding situation, the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) updated its Foreign Travel Advice for France. The official guidance now states: "Eurostar services to and from Belgium, France and the Netherlands are experiencing severe delays and last-minute cancellations. Eurotunnel LeShuttle services between UK and France are also disrupted."
The advice strongly urges that travellers should expect disruption and check the latest service updates with operators before commencing their journeys.
Gradual Resumption of Services Expected
Getlink released a statement outlining the recovery plan, noting that a technical intervention was underway. The company stated that traffic was expected to resume gradually around 1500 CET (1400 GMT) for LeShuttle customers.
"Our teams are working to restore the situation as quickly as possible. Waiting times will be adjusted throughout the day," a spokesperson said, adding an apology for the inconvenience and thanking customers for their patience.
While LeShuttle journeys were predicted to restart, all Eurostar services from London to the continent were scrapped for the entirety of 30 December, leaving thousands of passengers facing cancellations and severe delays during the busy festive travel period.
