Eurostar cancels all trains to Europe leaving 30,000 stranded in London

[hollydolly]

...due to flooding in the tunnels..

Eurostar has cancelled all of its services for the day, leaving around 30,000 furious passengers stranded in London and ruining their New Year's Eve plans after flooding hit the major tunnel connecting Britain to mainland Europe.

Many hoping to ring in 2024 with a romantic night in Paris, watch fireworks from the ski slope or enjoy a family holiday to Disneyland have been left devastated, with some left in tears this afternoon at St Pancras International.

The disruption began last night when water filled tunnels at Ebbsfleet International in Kent, disrupting all high speed services south of the Thames today.

Some passengers raced online to try book flights and salvage their end-of-year plans but were faced with soaring fares that were reportedly rising by the minute. Other upset passengers are racing to find a last-minute stay in London for the night.

Meanwhile a man, presumed to be a taxi driver, was spotted wondering around the station clutching an iPad which said 'taxi to Paris' in bid to attract desperate holiday-goers.

Amongst the heartbroken families was Dublin-based Luana Andrade, 36, who had been travelling to Disneyland Paris with her husband, three-year-old son and six relatives visiting from Brazil for their 'dream trip'.

She said: 'Our problem is to get a night to sleep because London is really expensive and we don't have an Airbnb to stay at tonight.

Eurostar cancels ALL services leaving 30,000 passengers stranded

I feel for them because there couldn't be a worse time to be stranded here because all Hotels will be booked for new Years Eve.. and prices will be through the roof...


Have you ever been stranded anywhere ?

 

[Buckeye]

Oh my! I've been on the Eurostar from London > Paris twice and once back. Never considered the possibility of flooding in the tunnel. Hope things get sorted out quickly.

 

[OneEyedDiva]

Terrible situation. I feel bad for them. So many people have found their plans upended lately. The airlines should be fined for price gouging IMO. Was the flooding due to a natural disaster or something that went wrong with the city's (water) systems?

 

[seadoug]

Very sad situation, but at least they are still home in London and there is nothing that can be done about the flooding of the tunnels.

I was in Cannes several years ago for a conference and the Yellow Vests were protesting (as usual). All transportation was shut down (taxi drivers, baggage handlers, etc.) It was the week before Christmas and we were being told we may not get out until after Christmas. There are worse places to be stuck than Cannes, but I really wanted to be home. I did get out.

Being stuck somewhere other than home is IMO much worse than being stuck at home and having vacation plans canceled.

 

[hollydolly]

Terrible situation. I feel bad for them. So many people have found their plans upended lately. The airlines should be fined for price gouging IMO. Was the flooding due to a natural disaster or something that went wrong with the city's (water) systems?

we have had horrendous storms Diva... .. but this isn't airlines this is Eurostar which is the train from here to Paris..

 

[OneEyedDiva]

we have had horrendous storms Diva... .. but this isn't airlines this is Eurostar which is the train from here to Paris..

When I said airlines should be fined for price gouging, I was referring to this part of the article:
"Some passengers raced online to try book flights and salvage their end-of-year plans but were faced with soaring fares that were reportedly rising by the minute."

 

[hollydolly]

When I said airlines should be fined for price gouging, I was referring to this part of the article:
"Some passengers raced online to try book flights and salvage their end-of-year plans but were faced with soaring fares that were reportedly rising by the minute."

Oh I see... yes it's appalling isn't it...?..same with hotels

 

[Furryanimal]

Unfortunate but what are they supposed to do?
You can’t run trains through flooded tunnels or conjure up rooms in fully booked hotels.
This is one instance where you can’t blame the operator.
But I would be seething if I was affected by this.
I once spent three hours on Didcot station after a signal failure…but that was nothing compared to this.And I eventually got home!

 

[rgp]

Well .... Of course the weather is the real problem but .... modern man doesn't miss a chance to make an extra dollar/euro. Even in the desperation of his fellow man.