Passengers travelling on the Eurostar have expressed their annoyance as their travel plans are thwarted.
Those travelling to and from London as well as those travelling between Belgium, France, the Netherlands and Germany face major delays.
One disgruntled passenger said on X: “I’m on the first @EurostarUK train out of London heading for Paris.
“We’ve been stationary in the tunnel for two hours now, and have been told that we’ll be going again in 15 minutes.”
Service update: Train 9080 had a technical issue this morning. This train is now running at reduced speed to Calais where passengers will be transferred to another Eurostar train to continue their journey to Paris. Thank you for your understanding and our apologies for the delay
— Eurostar (@Eurostar) December 27, 2024
Another said on the sharing platform: “Delay on Eurostar of 45 minutes, so pre-booked seats are invalid.
“New boarding passes with no numbered seats, looks like it will be a free-for-all. Crowded and airless in the departure lounge. Very disappointed.”
A third fumed: “Stuck in Chunnel [Channel Tunnel] on @eurostar for more than an hour. No air, no updates. Thanks for ruining our vacation #eurostar.”
A spokesman from Eurostar responded: “Hello, we’re sorry for the delay of your train this morning. This is due to a technical problem. Please keep an eye on http://eurostar.com or the Eurostar app for further updates. We apologise for the inconvenience caused to your travel plans today.”
The technical issue responsible has been solved – but delays persistPA IMAGESThe original poster replied: “It’s a LOT more than an inconvenience. This was a day trip to Paris and we will lose more than half our day already. The entire booking was a waste!”
Another chimed in: “We have yet to receive any actual updates. This is extremely frustrating.”
Several unhappy passengers were encouraged by Eurostar spokesmen to follow the railway company’s official X account to see their response via direct message.
Sharing a service update, Eurostar stated: “Train 9080 had a technical issue this morning. This train is now running at reduced speed to Calais where passengers will be transferred to another Eurostar train to continue their journey to Paris. Thank you for your understanding and our apologies for the delay.”
A status update for Train 9080 on Eurostar’s official website read: “Due to a technical problem, your train cannot complete its journey.
“It will now terminate at Calais Frethun where you’ll be transferred onto another train to your destination. Please follow instructions from our onboard and station teams.”
LATEST DEVELOPMENTS
Eurostar shared an update on its official website
Eurostar
Passengers who departed from London St Pancras International at 6.01am will arrive at their destination Paris Gare Du Nord around four and a half hours late at 1.50pm.
A recent update from the BBC’s Simon Jones on X read: “Eurotunnel says a ‘technical issue’ with a Eurostar train caused it to stop in the Channel Tunnel. The train has now been moved but there are ongoing delays.”
Several trains travelling across the network have been impacted by delays this morning as a result of several disruptions including the aforementioned technical problem, the temporary closure of part of the track and an operational incident.
According to Calais newspaper Nord Littoral, 800 people were evacuated from the stranded train and brought to to Calais-Frethun station.
Affected customers can find the most up-to-date information on their trains on Eurostar’s website.