Afternoon summary
As services gradually resume through the Channel tunnel, here’s a recap of the situation so far.
Eurostar passengers have suffered severe disruption today after a power problem in the Channel tunnel forced many services to be cancelled, ruining New Year’s Eve plans.
Most trains between London and Paris were suspended, due to the power failure and a broken-down LeShuttle train, leaving disappointed passengers stranded at St Pancras and Gare du Nord.
One, Jack Slater, had to cancel his New Year’s Eve trip to Paris with his girlfriend.
He told us:
“We’re being advised to re-book for tomorrow, but all of the trains are fully booked already so the only option would be to upgrade to a first class seat – which is an extra lot of money.”
Drivers hoping to take the LeShuttle car train from Folkestone to Calais also faced hours of delays, as it also couldn’t run through the tunnel until the power problem was tackled.
This afternoon, tunnel operator Getlink has reported that LeShuttle service have resumed very gradually on one track, and are operating alternately in both directions with significant delays.
Additional shuttles will be added in the evening and until tomorrow morning to help drivers reach their destination.
Eurostar has ‘strongly advised’ passengers not to try to travel today, even as it tries to gradually resume services.
Currently the 6.01pm and 7.01pm services from St Pancras to Paris are not showing as cancelled on its website, although all other trains from the UK to the French capital since 7am were scrapped.
The UK’s Department for Transport has warned that “significant disruption is likely for the remainder of the day.”
Key events
What caused the blockage again?
Overnight on Monday, there was a problem to the power supply in the Channel tunnel.
Pictures circulating in a Eurostar train driver’s messaging group, published by the BBC, appear to show a downed cable in one of the rail tunnels.
Eurostar blamed “overhead power supply issues” and a failed train operated by LeShuttle, a service which transports vehicles and their passengers between the ports of Calais, France, and Folkestone, England.
The overnight tunnel issue affected the very first trains in the morning and led to the cancellation of most of Tuesday’s Eurostar journeys between the UK and continental Europe.
By the afternoon the tunnel had reopened but Eurostar said it was only operating one of the two train lines.
The Channel tunnel is about 50km (32 miles) long, and more than half of it is undersea. It is the only fixed rail line crossing the English Channel.
James Walsh, who visited St Pancras this morning because his girlfriend was meant to catch the 1:30pm Eurostar to Paris, reports:
The security guards told us “no trains to Paris all day” (this was before 1pm) which was news to my girlfriend’s friend in Paris, who works for Eurostar and was waiting for news from the company crisis meeting!
We’ve given up for the day, but a couple next to us were plotting to get a train to Dover and try their luck with the ferry, which seems ambitious. It’s a shame you can’t just get a through ticket from Victoria these days…
Given my girlfriend still hasn’t got an email or any other info from Eurostar about the cancellation, it seems like a bit of a snafu (technical term) on the communication front.
While both the Eurostar and Le Shuttle are operating some services again there are still major delays.
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Le Shuttle, the car train, says on its website there’s a three-hour delay.
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The Eurostar is listing its 6pm (ES 9046) and 7pm (ES 9050) London-Paris trains, and corresponding Paris-London journeys as operating but subject to delay and last-minute cancellation. The 8.01pm train was cancelled.
Passengers tell stories of disruption, delay, and free crisps
Jane Clinton
People have been getting in touch about their travel delays due to the disruption in the Channel tunnel.
Stephanie Roberts, 50, who works in IT and lives in Ashford, was returning home from a two-week holiday in Le Touquet, with her husband, Simon and their 18-month-old French bulldog, Dempsey.
Stephanie tells us:
“We began queuing in Calais in the Eurotunnel at 10.30am French time.
There was very little information, so we were scouring social media and news websites to find out what was happening. In the end, we were waiting for more than five hours before we were able to board a train.
“There was no food or water, but luckily we had brought a baguette with us, so we were able to munch on that. We bought a small bottle of water from a vending machine for €3 for Dempsey. The price is not the issue, it’s the principle.Had we known about the delays, we would have stayed in France and travelled on a different day. We eventually started moving – six hours late.”
“I was supposed to be back at work today, but they have been very understanding, and we have been able to do some limited emailing. Luckily, we have a short journey home to Ashford but I think I would be more stressed if our onward journey home was longer.”
Kate, 58 an accountant from Woking, was travelling with her husband and daughter to Caen, France, to meet up with friends who were visiting from Australia.
“We arrived at Folkestone at 9am for a 10.30am train, but were told on check-in that there were three-hour delays. This changed at around 11.30am to “service suspended you can get a ferry and contact our customer service who will assess each case with regard to compensation”.
Staff at the terminal were doing their best but they couldn’t promise much. They were handing out food vouchers, playing cards and crisps, and people were calm. We then drove to Dover, where we were able to catch a ferry to Calais. Once there, we will drive to Caen. Lots of people have booked onto ferries.
It has cost us an extra £158. It means we will be delayed by about five or six hours, but it’s not the end of the world.”
Sophie Hayes, 52, a programme leader of fine art at UWE, Bristol, who lives in Salisbury, is travelling with her partner and parents to Épagny, in the Haute-Savoie region of France, for a short New Year’s holiday.
“We are stuck in limbo in Folkestone in our car at the Eurotunnel terminus. We arrived very early, 8am, and we were meant to leave at 10.24am, but we are still waiting. We are stuck in a queue of cars waiting to get on the train and we can’t move. There are lines of cars.”
“I’m not sure I can eat any more of the crisp packet freebies they have been giving out. We’ve been taking photos galore to mark this non-journey. I’ve already held and played with someone’s baby, and luckily have a good book to read.
“We are not sure when we will finally get to Calais. At this rate, we will have to find accommodation for the night as the journey to our destination is about a seven to eight hour drive away.”
If you’d like to get in touch with us about your journey today, you can do so here.
Afternoon summary
As services gradually resume through the Channel tunnel, here’s a recap of the situation so far.
Eurostar passengers have suffered severe disruption today after a power problem in the Channel tunnel forced many services to be cancelled, ruining New Year’s Eve plans.
Most trains between London and Paris were suspended, due to the power failure and a broken-down LeShuttle train, leaving disappointed passengers stranded at St Pancras and Gare du Nord.
One, Jack Slater, had to cancel his New Year’s Eve trip to Paris with his girlfriend.
He told us:
“We’re being advised to re-book for tomorrow, but all of the trains are fully booked already so the only option would be to upgrade to a first class seat – which is an extra lot of money.”
Drivers hoping to take the LeShuttle car train from Folkestone to Calais also faced hours of delays, as it also couldn’t run through the tunnel until the power problem was tackled.
This afternoon, tunnel operator Getlink has reported that LeShuttle service have resumed very gradually on one track, and are operating alternately in both directions with significant delays.
Additional shuttles will be added in the evening and until tomorrow morning to help drivers reach their destination.
Eurostar has ‘strongly advised’ passengers not to try to travel today, even as it tries to gradually resume services.
Currently the 6.01pm and 7.01pm services from St Pancras to Paris are not showing as cancelled on its website, although all other trains from the UK to the French capital since 7am were scrapped.
The UK’s Department for Transport has warned that “significant disruption is likely for the remainder of the day.”
PA Media report that some Eurostar passengers waiting in London have filed through towards the departure and security area after some services resumed.
An announcement at King’s Cross St Pancras told hundreds of people waiting that the trains that will be running are fully booked while some remain cancelled.
A staff member held up a sign for passengers on the 3.04pm service to Brussels to come forward.
Those waiting looked their phones and peered over the crowd to look at the departure boards.
Others took their suitcases and walked away from the Eurostar area.
London-Amsterdam services to terminate in Brussels
Eurostar services from London to Amsterdam today are not reaching the Netherlands.
Both the 15.04 from St Pancras, and the 18.04, are now set to terminate in the Belgian capital, and will not carry on to Rotterdam or Amsterdam.
Eurostar says:
Due to ongoing delays caused by the disruption in the Channel Tunnel your train can only run to Brussels-Midi/Zuid. Your train won’t be stopping at Amsterdam Central and Rotterdam Central today.
Significant disruption to journeys through the Channel Tunnel are “likely for the remainder of the day”, a Department for Transport spokesperson predicted this afternoon.
The spokesperson said:
“Eurotunnel is working with operators to resume some services while repairs to overhead electrical cables in the Channel Tunnel are ongoing, however significant disruption is likely for the remainder of the day.
“We are working with Eurotunnel, Eurostar and the Kent and Medway Resilience Forum (KMRF) to minimise disruption for passengers.
“Passengers are encouraged to check with their operator for updates and guidance.”
LeShuttle service resume with delays
Getlink, which manages and operates the infrastructure of the Channel tunnel, has confirmed that services on the LeShuttle car train have resumed.
Extra services will be added to help clear the backlog of drivers stuck at its ports.
It says:
Following the incident related to a power supply outage affecting trains in the tunnel:
LeShuttle service resumed very gradually on one track shortly before 3:00 p.m. CET. Service is operating alternately in both directions with significant delays.
Additional shuttles will be added in the evening and until tomorrow morning.
Waiting times will be adjusted throughout the day.
Our teams are continuing to work on repairing the power supply at the same time.
Eurotunnel apologises for the inconvenience and thanks its customers for their patience and understanding.
Eurostar: services will start to resume as tunnel ‘partially reopens’
Eurostar says it will resume services from the UK to Europe, but also warns that the earlier power supply issue remains and “strongly” advised passengers to postpone their journey.
A message to customers on the train operator’s website said:
“As the Channel Tunnel has partially reopened we will start to resume services.
“The overhead power supply issue remains, and we strongly advise all our passengers to postpone their journey to a different date.
“Please don’t come to the station if your train is confirmed as cancelled.
“We regret that trains that can run will be subject to severe delays and possible last-minute cancellations.
“Please check for live updates on the status of your train on the Train status and timetables page.”
Eurostar’s website still shows two departures from St Pancras to Paris this evening, leaving at 6.01pm and 7.01pm.
Almost all eurostar trains from St Pancras to Paris today are now shown as cancelled on its online service page.
The only two not classed as cancelled are the 18.01 and 19.01 services.
However, for these trains, Eurostar says:
Due to a problem with the overhead power supply in the Channel Tunnel and a subsequent failed Le Shuttle train, our trains are likely to be subject to severe delays and last-minute cancellations. Your train is currently scheduled to run, but your journey could be disrupted. We strongly advise all our passengers to postpone their journey to a different date. Please don’t come to the station unless you already have a ticket to travel.
And indeed, the 18.01 train was showing as ‘cancelled’ at an information board at St Pancras earlier today:
Several hundred Le Shuttle passengers were stuck in their vehicles after passing through passport checks and security at the terminal in Folkestone, Reuters report.
Officials said that for the time being they could neither go forward – there were no trains – nor backwards, because they had already crossed into the French control zone.
Alison Raby said she had booked a day trip to a theme park in Belgium, but the four-hour delay made the excursion pointless.
“We’re stuck, basically,” she told Reuters.
The number of cancelled cross-Channel trains today has now risen to 18, according to Eurostar’s website.
Its status update page shows 12 trains were cancelled this morning, starting with the 6.40am service from Amsterdam Centraal to St Pancras, and ending with the 11.12am service from Paris Gare du Nord.
That’s on top of the six trains listed as cancelled this afternoon (see earlier post)
Which? Travel: advice for passengers
Rory Boland, editor of Which? Travel, has provided advice to customers affected by the Channel tunnel outage.
“Travellers will be incredibly frustrated to have had their New Year’s Eve plans thrown into uncertainty because of train cancellations.
“Those who have had their train cancelled have the option to exchange their booking or claim a refund or Eurostar e-voucher. For delays, travellers are entitled to compensation.
“Check the Eurostar website for live updates and consider other options for your travel plans. If you are delayed overnight, you have the right to be put up in a hotel or be reimbursed for one.
“It may also be possible to use other routes to get home, such as the ferry, but you will need to contact Eurostar first or risk being left out of pocket.”
A broken down LeShuttle train has been moved out of the Channel Tunnel, a Eurostar spokesperson has told the PA news agency.
The operator said none of its passengers are stranded inside the tunnel after a power failure caused its closure, so that’s one relief!
