The European company Eurostar announced this Saturday, December 30, the cancellation of all its trains for the day to and from London due to a track closure due to “flooding in the tunnels.” This cancellation occurs during one of the busiest weekends of the year, right on New Year's Eve.
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Eurostar is not celebrating. All trains for the day to and from London were canceled due to flooding of the tracks, leaving thousands of passengers stranded on the eve of the New Year's Eve parties.
“Due to flooding in a high-speed line tunnel near London, we have had to cancel all our trains to and from London on Saturday 30 December,” Eurostar said in X.
According to a press release from the company, a subsidiary of SNCF, a total of 41 trains have been cancelled. This represents some 30,000 passengers stranded in London, Paris, Brussels or Amsterdam.
Update: Due to the flooding of a tunnel on the high-speed line near London, we're having to cancel all our trains on our route to/from London on Saturday 30 December. Please visit https://t.co/m5IOlV2hkZ to check your options. With't >
— Eurostar (@Eurostar) December 30, 2023
The flooding of the tunnel between Saint Pancras International Station, the departure and arrival station for Eurostar trains in the British capital, and Ebbsfleet station, in the southeast of the United Kingdom, “has not improved and rail services cannot operate “explains Eurostar.
A problem that “will take time” to solve
Flooding on British roads was caused by a failure in the “fire control system” inside a tunnel that crosses the River Thames belowas reported by the Thames Water company, which also ruled out any damage to the pipes in the area.
Despite the positive mood in the railway companies' statements about the resumption of travel, the firm in charge of track maintenance reported that “it will take time” to drain the water from the road and ensure the correct functioning of the affected sections.
Eurostar was “extremely sorry” and asked users to visit the website to “find out what compensation they are entitled to”: change your train to another date, cancel your booking for a 12-month voucher or a full refund.
British rail operator South Eastern Railway said on Saturday morning that the disruption could last “until the end of the day”, which had not been confirmed by Eurostar.
“Flooding has occurred in the two rail tunnels near Ebbsfleet International, meaning both tunnels are closed,” the railway company explained.
Plane, ferry or bus
At St Pancras station at midday, thousands of passengers waited calmly with their phones in their hands, hoping to book a flight, a ferry or a hotel in London.
On December 21, in the middle of the holiday season, Eurostar passengers also had to deal with numerous train cancellations due to a surprise strike that paralyzed the Channel Tunnel.
A total of 30 trains were canceled that day, leaving thousands of passengers without a solution. Eurostar traffic finally resumed on 22 December.
With AFP and EFE
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