Eurostar descends into 'chaos' as passengers stuck on train with 'lack of air'
Those aboard the train have slammed the service for a shortage of communication with passengers, leading one customer to complain that they have been left in a stagnant carriage and that the doors will not open.
Passengers have claimed that they've endured over three hours of waiting on the train bound for London in the 'severe' Eurostar disruption, according to The Mirror.
Serge de Gheldere in London wrote on X: "Almost 3h. Still no news, no air. This is not just an incident or bad luck.
"@Eurostar is absolutely clueless and unprepared. There is no olan(sic). Instead of opening the doors and trusting the people, they only have one or two doors open and let people almost suffocate. There's asthma patients and infants on board."
Another passenger has claimed that she has been stuck on the Eurostar train for 'nearly four hours' without working bathrooms.
The social media representative replied to the woman sharing that a replacement train is being organised for those stranded on the train.
She was also told to wait for instructions from the team onboard.
"We've been stuck with no electricity (air) and bathrooms aren't working," the woman claimed on X. "Close to 4hrs waiting and counting."
On the social media platform, Eurostar replied: "Hi Alexandra, we're sorry about the situation with your train today.
"Please remain seated and wait for instructions from the onboard team, as we are arranging a replacement train. Thank you for your understanding and patience."
The 'chaos' continues to develop with further people who claim to be aboard the train experiencing what they describe as "inhumane conditions."
Taking to X, the passenger who is with two small children slammed: "I am on this train with two small children who are overheating! There are no toilets, there is no air, these are inhumane conditions. There is still no replacement!!!!"
One passenger has told The Mirror that people have become unwell while stuck on the train, which has two engines out of service.
He said: "We're stuck on Eurostar tracks near Guines. It's we've been here for about four hours now. They said both of the engines are out of service and we need a new train to take us.
"They've said it's coming at 130, but nothing.
"Conditions aren't great - paramedics are on board and triaging people. There's no toilets. Zero communication from staff on board. None. The only info we get is from Twitter."
Daily Star has contacted Eurostar for comment.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Telegraph
an hour ago
- Telegraph
Eurostar passengers evacuate on to tracks after hours-long breakdown
Passengers have been left stranded for seven hours after a Eurostar train broke down. Footage on social media shows dozens of passengers walking next to the tracks hours after the London-bound train from Brussels stopped between Lille and Calais in northern France because of a power failure. The doors were opened and water handed out to passengers, a Eurostar spokesman confirmed, but four hours into the wait, passengers left the train. Eurostar said a replacement had been sent from London which was scheduled to arrive at 1.30pm, but was delayed. It was thought to have arrived by 4.45pm, according to the BBC. The company confirmed it would be refunding passengers and has offered them a full cash refund or a 300 per cent return of the ticket value in an e-voucher. Passengers had left Brussels at 8.52am local time and were due to arrive in London at 9.57am. The frustrated travellers have taken to social media to vent their frustration. Michael Andrews wrote on X: 'Stuck on the @Eurostar for 4.5 hours, stationary, toilets full, electricity off & absolutely boiling alive... They tweeted there would be a replacement train at 1.30, no sign.' Approaching seven hours, we start walking to then be told there is STILL no sign of a replacement train? — Alana (@alanaroberts13) July 6, 2025 Alana Roberts wrote: 'You waited over two and a half hours before even communicating this, now looking at four hours stuck on this train and still no replacement! There is no air, not even some water offered, staff should be coming carriage to carriage to give us verbal updates at the minimum.' Ms Roberts tweeted again, this time a video of people walking along the tracks with their bags: 'Approaching seven hours, we start walking to then be told there is STILL no sign of a replacement train.' A fellow passenger who only gave her names as Valentina wrote to Eurostar, as she complained about the heat and 'inhumane conditions'. She said: 'I am on this train with two small children who are overheating! There are no toilets, there is no air, these are inhumane conditions. There is still no replacement.' Ms Roberts went on to say: 'Now almost 15:00 and still nothing from you, people are feeling serious unwell at this point.' After 6h on a broken-down Eurostar we cracked out the guitars to remind everybody #theOnlyWayIsUp — Stornoway (@StornowayBand) July 6, 2025 Passenger Edward Hardy, who hosts The Hardy Report political news podcast, posted a video showing Oxford band Stornoway provided some relief to travellers by playing music along the tracks. Mr Hardy wrote: 'A band has started serenading stranded Eurostar passengers with a song titled Home.' The indie folk band wrote on X: 'We cracked out the guitars to remind everybody #theOnlyWayIsUp.' They named themselves after the Scottish town on the Hebridean Isle of Lewis, despite never having been there. They have since visited multiple times since 2010. A Eurostar spokesman said: 'Earlier today, Eurostar train 9117, travelling from Brussels to London, came to a standstill between Lille and Calais due to a power failure, leaving the train without onboard electricity. 'To provide passengers with some comfort during the delay, train doors were opened to allow fresh air to circulate, and water was distributed. 'A rescue train was promptly dispatched from Brussels to carry out a complex transfer operation. This process, supported by local authorities and SNCF Réseau personnel on site, is taking longer than anticipated and is still ongoing. 'Eurostar teams are doing everything possible to ensure all affected passengers reach their final destination, London St Pancras, as soon as possible. 'We understand how difficult this experience has been and sincerely apologise for the disruption and discomfort caused. We are also extremely grateful for our passengers' patience and cooperation throughout.'
The Independent
an hour ago
- The Independent
Passenger fury over being stuck on ‘boiling' train for five hours
Eurostar passengers travelling from Brussels to London were stranded for over five hours on Sunday after their train broke down in France. The train suffered a power failure between Lille and Calais, leaving passengers without working toilets or air conditioning. Customers described chaotic conditions and poor communication, with some leaning out of doors for fresh air before being evacuated onto the tracks. A replacement train was dispatched, arriving around 3 pm UK time, significantly later than the scheduled 9:57 am arrival.
The Independent
2 hours ago
- The Independent
Eurostar chaos as passengers complain of ‘slowly boiling alive' on halted train
Eurostar passengers were left stranded on a train for over five hours after it broke down in France. Customers travelling from Brussels to London on the Eurostar on Sunday took to social media to describe the chaos onboard - with some saying they had no working toilets or proper ventilation. Eurostar said the train broke down due to a power failure, and told passengers reaching out to them on social media they were sending a replacement train to complete the final leg of their journey. One passenger wrote: 'Stuck on the @Eurostar for 4.5 hours, stationary. Toilets full, electricity off & absolutely slowly boiling alive The fire service made it on with some first aiders, but still no official announcement for 3 hrs. They tweeted there would be a replacement train at 1:30, no sign.' According to the Eurostar website, the train left Brussels at 8:52am local time, and was due to arrive at London's St Pancras International at 9:57am. But six hours on from their scheduled arrival time, passengers were still stuck between Lille and Calais. Pictures shared to social media shows passengers leaning out of the door to get fresh air, before they were evacuated onto the tracks as they await their replacement train. One person on board wrote on X: 'There's no communication. No air. No toilets. Just absolute chaos. This is baffling. Accidents happen, but this a live failure of management. Spectacularly bad service.' Another passenger said: '@eurostar 1 word incompetent, from a passenger on train 9117 from Brussels to London.. no energy without water for the toilets or food, regretting traveling here.' Some passengers in a lighter mood began playing guitars and singing a song titled 'home' as people disembarked the train. It appears the replacement train arrived at around 3pm UK time. A Eurostar spokesperson said: 'Earlier today, Eurostar train 9117, travelling from Brussels to London, came to a standstill between Lille and Calais due to a power failure, leaving the train without onboard electricity. 'To provide passengers with some comfort during the delay, train doors were opened to allow fresh air to circulate, and water was distributed. 'A rescue train was promptly dispatched from Brussels to carry out a complex transfer operation. This process, supported by local authorities and SNCF Réseau personnel on site, is taking longer than anticipated and is still ongoing.' They added Eurostar will offer all affected customers either a full cash refund or 300 per cent of the ticket value in the form of an e-voucher. The incident comes just weeks after thousands of passengers had their Eurostar journeys cancelled after two days of disruption led to 'chaos' on the high-speed line. Customers were warned on 25 June to delay or cancel their journeys after 600m of cable was stolen on the high-speed line near Lille, France, cancelling the journeys of more than 5,000 people. It came after passengers faced long delays the evening before, when two people were hit by trains on the network. Thousands were affected by the chaos which brought journeys between London and Paris to a standstill.
