Thousands of Eurostar passengers facing cancellations and severe delays following cable theft
Thousands of Eurostar passengers are facing travel chaos over train cancellations and delays for the second day in a row.
Cancellations began last night with no services running between London St Pancras and Gare du Nord in Paris, after two people were struck by trains near Lille.
And now, a cable theft on the high-speed line (LGV Nord) near Lille this morning, has meant that all Eurostar services between London and Brussels/Paris are experiencing disruption, leading to extended journey times.
Eurostar has said: 'SNCF Réseau teams are working hard to restore the damaged infrastructure, with one track already reopened. This allows trains to run in both directions until full repairs are completed, expected by around 3pm/4pm CET.
'Customers have been contacted directly with updates and available options, and Eurostar is advising those due to travel today to postpone their journey with free exchanges and refunds available.
'We're very sorry for the continued disruption and the impact this is having on our customers. Our teams are working hard to support customers in the stations.'
Cancellations began last night with no services running between London St Pancras and Gare du Nord in Paris
Scores of passengers were stranded for more than seven hours with one furious customer accusing the service of 'abandoning passengers at midnight', while another said nearly a thousand people were stuck in Gare du Nord last night with no offers to stay in a hotel.
Rebooked trains were again cancelled this morning with several other services delayed today due to 600metres of copper cables being stolen overnight near Lille.
Around 15 workers, including cable layers, were dispatched to solve the issue, but repairs were expected to take a good part of the day, French railway operator SNCF said.
Eurostar have said this made available services on the London–Brussels–Amsterdam route much longer thanks to having to take alternative routes.
The Eurostar website showed that six trips between London and Paris - three in each direction - were cancelled on Wednesday, while other trains were still expected to run.
Local police did not immediately provide more details on the cable theft.
Some weary holidaymakers have spent hundreds trying to re-book trains while others had to sleep in the station, accusing the train line of 'horrific' customer service.
Dominic Read said he had been delayed for seven hours with his new reservation for this morning cancelled, while Joe Mac wrote on X: '€300 isn't remotely close to what hotels were costing last night in the area once the trains were cancelled.
'If you were quick they started at €800 and very quickly went well over €1,000 once all the trains were cancelled and the other trains were heading back to Gare du Nord.'
Lana Zovko wrote that she was told she could sleep in an 'empty train because the train station is closing'.
Tonia Kats said: 'I've been trying to get to Paris since yesterday, have now brought three £375 tickets in an attempt to get there - two of the three trains were cancelled!
'The customer service and care is horrific! I am expecting refund and compensation plus my lost accommodation in Paris last night.'
However, another passenger shared what appeared to be an image of a message from Eurostar that said they were not eligible for a refund even though their train was cancelled twice.
'What am I supposed to do now?' they asked.
Eurostar have confirmed that all customers with cancelled services are entitled to a full refund.
Rebecca del Tufo said: 'Utterly appalling service from Eurostar abandoning passengers at midnight in Paris with nowhere to stay. Shocking.'
Naomi Sanger told KentOnline that she boarded the 4.31pm at Gare Du Nord yesterday but was left stranded at the station after the train did not depart.
She claimed that the air con was not working and they were running out of food and drinks.
SNCF said around 10 high-speed train trips between Lille and the French capital had also been cancelled.
At the train station in Lille, 51-year-old Belgian holidaymaker Marie-Line Ponville was deeply disappointed.
She and her daughter had been planning to board a ship in Marseille for a week-long cruise around the Mediterranean but look likely to miss the boat's departure.
'We can't even stay here as we packed our bags for somewhere sunny. I think we will just cancel and go home,' she said.
Eurostar said yesterday: 'We are deeply sorry to confirm that there were two separate fatalities on the LGV Nord high-speed line between Lille and Paris yesterday. Our thoughts are with the families and friends of those who lost their lives.
'The line was closed for much of the afternoon and evening, resulting in significant disruption to Eurostar services, including cancellations on routes to and from Paris.
'Trains on the London–Brussels–Amsterdam route continued to run with delays. Disruption is continuing today due to the knock-on impact of displaced trains and crew.
'This morning, services have been further affected by an incident of cable theft on the same line near Lille. Trains are being re-routed via diversionary routes, which is leading to extended journey times.
'We're very sorry for the continued disruption and the impact this is having on our customers. Our teams are working closely with the French authorities and infrastructure teams to manage the situation and restore services safely.
'Customers have been contacted directly with updates and available options.
'Water is being distributed onboard delayed trains, and station teams remain on hand to offer assistance. Affected customers can change their travel plans free of charge or request a full refund.'
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