Holiday travel chaos has stranded thousands of Eurostar passengers

Thousands of passengers traveling between London, Paris, Brussels, and Amsterdam are bracing for a second consecutive day of disruption following a power outage in the Channel Tunnel and Tuesday’s travel chaos.

The disruption primarily arose from a failure in the overhead power supply and a broken down LeShuttle train blocking all routes, impacting thousands of passengers trying to get away for New Year’s Eve.

It was expected that some Eurostar and LeShuttle services would resume on Thursday evening after one of the tunnel’s two lines reopened, but unexpectedly the delays continued.

The rail operator has apologized and announced that passengers can rearrange their plans free of charge or receive a full refund or e-voucher.

Many people have been left stranded and are growing increasingly frustrated with the situation.

National Rail has advised passengers not to come to London St Pancras International if their Eurostar train is cancelled.

Furthermore, the Department for Transport has also clarified that disruption is “likely for the remainder of the day” while crews work to repair overhead cables and restore service.

The Eurostar said, “One of the two main tunnels in the Channel Tunnel is available for trains to run on.”

According to the BBC, services will resume with the 15:04 train from London to Brussels departing after 16:00.

A few services to Paris Gare du Nord and Brussels were scheduled to depart London St Pancras International this evening after 18:00.

Regarding the unexpected situation, LeShuttle has apologized and warned of delays of approximately five hours, advising passengers to continue checking in as planned.

The LeShuutle services will be resumed gradually on a track before 15:00 local time (14:00GMT), in line with the directions from the EuroTunnel Press Office.

While this marks a crucial turning point in the travel chaos, the recovery remains slow as the operator manages a significant logistical backlog. National Rail continues to advise passengers not to travel to St Pancras unless their service is confirmed.

In addition, traffic has eased on the M20 after cars finally began crossing the Channel Tunnel causing traffic jams near the LeShuttle Terminal in Folkestone.