'Inhumane conditions' as Eurostar train standstill causes travel chaos
People ended up stuck in the heat with no toilets or shade
Eurostar train at London St Pancras International
(Image: Getty )
A Eurostar train journey from Brussels to London turned into an 11-hour ordeal after a power failure left passengers stuck near Calais for over four hours in very hot conditions. The train left Brussels just after 7:50 BST and was due to arrive at St Pancras by 10:00, but it broke down mid-journey leaving people onboard with no air conditioning, no working toilets and minimal staff updates.
Travellers posted on X, describing conditions as 'inhumane' and saying children and elderly people were struggling.
Eurostar replied, confirming both engines had failed and a replacement train was on the way. For our free daily briefing on the biggest issues facing the nation, sign up to the Wales Matters newsletter here
Paramedics boarded twice to treat unwell passengers.
It reportedly took two hours to open the doors.
Once off the train, people waited beside the tracks in the heat with no toilets or shade, with water being handed out later.
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Eurostar has apologised, launched a full investigation and offered either a full refund or travel vouchers worth three times the ticket price.
During the long wait, members of British indie folk band Stornoway played an acoustic version of The Only Way Is Up to lift spirits.
Recent disruptions
This is the latest in a series of travel issues as earlier this week, cable theft near Lille and fatalities on the track caused widespread cancellations and delays on Eurostar routes between London, Paris, Brussels and Amsterdam.
Eurostar advised passengers to cancel or postpone travel as services were hit for a second consecutive day.
Across Europe, airlines and other rail services have also been disrupted.
On July 1, more than 200 flights were delayed and over 60 cancelled in major airports including Paris, Munich, Dublin and Stockholm due to "mounting operational challenges."
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And from Thursday July 3 to Friday, July 4, EasyJet, Ryanair, HOP! and Air France scrapped around 500 flights on Thursday amid air traffic control strikes in France. You can read more about one experience following this here.
If you've been affected by any disruption in Wales or beyond, you can tell us about it here.
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