Eurostar on Tuesday suspended all train services departing London for Paris, Brussels and Amsterdam after a power failure in the Channel Tunnel led to the breakdown of a Le Shuttle train, the BBC reported.
At London’s St Pancras International station, railway staff advised passengers to postpone their journeys and rebook travel for a later date as disruption mounted through the day.
By midday, at least a dozen Eurostar services connecting the UK with France, Belgium and the Netherlands had been cancelled, while several others faced significant delays or were diverted. The disruption came at a particularly busy time, with large numbers of travellers moving during the New Year holiday period.
Eurostar operates high-speed services linking London with Paris, Brussels, Amsterdam and Disneyland Paris, along with seasonal routes to Alpine destinations for ski travellers.
Eurotunnel’s Le Shuttle service, which carries vehicles between Folkestone in the UK and Calais in France, also suspended operations following what it described as an overnight “power supply issue”. National Rail warned that severe disruption was likely to continue until the end of the day.
In a statement, Eurostar said services to and from London had been halted “until further notice” due to overhead power supply problems in the Channel Tunnel, compounded by a stalled Le Shuttle train. Passengers were advised to rebook their journeys for another day, with free exchanges available.
Eurostar added that affected customers could also cancel their bookings and opt for a full refund or an e-voucher. “We apologise for the disruption and will continue to keep customers informed with the latest updates,” the company said.
Eurotunnel later confirmed that the faulty Le Shuttle train had been removed from the tunnel and said services were expected to resume at around 3 pm CET (2 pm GMT). “Our teams are working to restore the situation as quickly as possible,” Le Shuttle said, cautioning that waiting times may vary through the day.
Passengers departing from Folkestone were facing delays of around three-and-a-half hours beyond their scheduled departure times, while waiting times at the Calais terminal were estimated at about three hours.
The BBC quoted one affected passenger who had been stranded at the Calais terminal for several hours with her husband and their pet, complaining about a lack of information from operators. “We’ve not had any updates or been given any food or water. We’ve just been passing the time on social media and reading magazines,” she said, adding that she had taken her dog out for walks while waiting.
A spokesperson for the operator said it remained unclear when services would fully resume and declined to confirm how many passengers had been affected. Eurostar also warned on its website that travellers should be prepared for severe delays.
Getlink, which manages the Channel Tunnel infrastructure and operates Le Shuttle, did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Eurostar carried a record 19.5 million passengers in 2024, making it the busiest year in the company’s history.