Eurostar resumes rail services after flood disruptions
Published December 30, 2023last updated December 31, 2023
International rail operator Eurostar canceled on Saturday 41 trains scheduled for Saturday due to tunnel flooding in England.
The company later announced that Eurostar trains will resume normal services on Sunday.
"At least one tunnel can now be used," the company said.
"We're able to confirm that we'll be running our planned timetable tomorrow," the Eurostar posted on the platform X, formerly Twitter. "Our stations will be extremely busy due to today's disruption."
What did Eurostar say about the disruption?
"Flooding in the tunnels between St Pancras international and Ebbsfleet has not improved and train services are unable to operate", Eurostar said in a statement.
It added that Network Rail, Britain's grid operator, was keeping it updated regarding how the situation is evolving ahead of Sunday.
Thousands of passengers were stranded ahead of New Year's Eve, struggling to reach their destinations within Europe. The cancelations affected routes between major European cities including London, Paris, Brussels and Amsterdam.
Floods inundated the tunnels near Ebbsfleet International station in the UK's Kent, with the Met Office issuing weather warnings for rain, snow and ice across large swathes of the country.
What do we know about the train disruptions?
Eurostar, which is 55.75% owned by French state-owned SNCF Voyageurs, apologized to its customers.
"Due to the flooding of a tunnel on the high-speed line near London, we're having to cancel all our trains on our route to/from London on Saturday 30 December. Our stations are very busy today. Please don’t come to the station unless you have a valid ticket to travel," the service provider said on its website.
The British rail service Southeastern Railway also announced national train cancelations due to flooding. Affected stations include Ebbsfleet International, Stratford International and London St Pancras International.
It said no high-speed trains were expected to run between St Pancras and Ashford International.
"We are working to fix the flooding in the tunnels," it said.
The Met Office said its weather alerts may remain in effect until New Year's Eve.
si,rmt/dj (AFP, dpa)