Latest news with #trainbreakdown
Times
10 hours ago
- Times
Eurostar passengers stranded for hours in France on London-bound train
About 800 passengers were stranded for nearly five hours near Calais after a Eurostar train from Brussels to London suffered an electrical breakdown on Sunday. Passengers complained of a lack of information after the train stopped near the entrance to the Channel Tunnel at Guines. Air conditioning went off and lavatories were blocked up. A passenger posted online: 'They've said it's coming at 1pm, 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.' There were complaints after delays to the replacement service Eurostar apologised and offered customers a full refund. It said the train had stopped because of a power failure and a rescue train had been promptly dispatched to collect passengers. The 'complex transfer operation' to the new train was 'taking longer than anticipated'.
Telegraph
13 hours 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
13 hours 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.
Yahoo
14 hours ago
- Yahoo
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.' FYI #ES9117: We're sending a replacement train to take you to London, which should arrive shortly. You'll need to leave the train. For your own safety, please remain seated for now and wait for instructions from our onboard team. — Eurostar (@Eurostar) July 6, 2025 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. 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 hrsThey tweeted there would be a replacement train at 1:30, no sign — Michael Andrews (@mytentoryours) July 6, 2025 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. A band has started serenading stranded Eurostar passengers with a song titled Home — Edward Hardy (@EdwardTHardy) July 6, 2025 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.
The Independent
14 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.
