Eurostar trains resume after flooded tunnels force cancellations

All Eurostar trains to or from London were cancelled on Saturday due to flooded tunnels in southern England, causing misery for travellers trying to cross the Channel in the second major disruption in ten days. Services began resuming on Sunday.

Eurostar arrivals and departures are seen cancelled and delayed on an information board at St Pancras station in London on 30 December 2023, as cross-Channel trains were disrupted due to flooding. © AFP / HENRY NICHOLLS

UPDATE, 31 December 2023:

Eurostar services to and from London are resuming Sunday, the company confirmed.

All scheduled trains are expected to run, but Eurostar warned there would be speed restrictions in place in the morning that might lead to delays, while stations are likely to be very busy.

Hundreds of travellers were left stranded at London's St Pancras station after Eurostar cancelled all services on Saturday.

The disruption affected cross-Channel trains between London and Paris, Brussels or Amsterdam. 

The services were cancelled after tunnels near Ebbsfleet International station in Kent were flooded, amid weather warnings for rain, snow and ice across large parts of the UK.

Thousands of passengers were left facing the decision to postpone their trip, seek last-minute alternatives or cancel altogether.

Simon Shaw, 36, had been due to travel to the French Alps for a skiing holiday.

"We just arrived and saw everything was cancelled... it was chaos," he told French news agency AFP.

Year of travel disruption

It was the second weekend of disruption for Eurostar, after a surprise strike by French workers on 21 December that brought rail traffic through the Channel Tunnel to a halt just before Christmas. 

Unions for workers at Eurotunnel, the company that manages the tunnel, called off the strike after several hours, but Eurostar passengers experienced long delays as trains resumed the following day.

• Cross-Channel Eurostar traffic resumes after unions end surprise strike

Saturday's floods top off a year of problems for cross-Channel travellers due to strikes, storms and other difficulties.

Travellers to France in April endured waiting times of up to 16 hours at Dover due to larger than expected numbers and weather conditions.

In November, Storm Ciaran saw ferry crossings and flights cancelled.

(with AFP)