Eurostar cancels trains due to flooded UK tunnels
London: At least 14 Eurostar trains were cancelled on Dec 30 after flooding in tunnels in southern England, stranding thousands of passengers just ahead of New Year’s Eve.
The tunnels near Ebbsfleet International railway station in Kent were inundated as the Meteorological Office issued weather warnings for rain, snow and ice across large parts of the country.
Eurostar, which runs services from London to Paris, Brussels and Amsterdam via Ashford, midway between London and the southern English coast, apologised to customers for the disruption.
South-east England train operator Southeastern Railway posted on X, formerly Twitter, that “no high-speed trains are expected to run today between St Pancras and Ashford International”.
“We are working to fix the flooding in the tunnels,” it added.
In a statement, Southeastern said “flooding between Ebbsfleet International and London St Pancras International means that all lines are blocked”.
It also said that “disruption is expected until the end of the day”.
Flooding had affected both railway tunnels near Ebbsfleet, said Southeastern, so both the tunnels are closed.
“This means no trains can run between London St Pancras International and Ebbsfleet International,” Southeastern added.
The disruption comes after French unions ended a wildcat strike that had stranded holidaymakers and held up freight just days before Christmas.
The surprise walkout by workers that blocked the tunnel sparked hours of chaos at rail hubs in Paris and London.
Eurostar train services resumed on Dec 22 after an agreement was reached.
Eurotunnel unions said negotiations had yielded “results that satisfy us”. The Eurotunnel company operates the railway link between England and France that runs through the Channel Tunnel.
Eurostar is 55.75 per cent owned by French state-owned SNCF Voyageurs.
It almost went bankrupt during the Covid-19 pandemic but was saved with a €290 million (S$422 million) bailout from shareholders, including the French government.
