Eurostar passengers rush to make New Year's Eve plans as the normal service resumes
Eurostar travelers have hurried to rearrange their New Year’s Eve plans after services resumed following a day of disruption. Trains are now running normally after extensive work to clear floodwater from the tunnels since Friday. The issue, which began near Ebbsfleet International, halted high-speed services. Despite the resumption of regular schedules, Eurostar has announced no additional trains.
Some passengers affected by Saturday’s cancellations were seen lining up at St Pancras station for tickets on Sunday. A French family expressed joy at managing to secure tickets for a Sunday train, allowing them to return to Toulouse in time for New Year's festivities.
Southeastern Railway has confirmed its high-speed services are operating as usual from St Pancras. HS1, the company overseeing the railway route to the Channel Tunnel, reported that speed limits were lifted at 11am. They apologized to passengers for the inconvenience during the holiday season and plan to investigate the flood’s cause, indicating it doesn’t seem related to the fire system’s water pipe as initially thought.
HS1's engineering director, Richard Thorp, stated the flood volume was unprecedented and overwhelmed the pumping system.
Additionally, due to staff shortages, many domestic rail services have been canceled, including Northern Trains routes, with a travel advisory for December 31st. Disruptions have also affected Thameslink and some Transport for Wales services may be impacted by severe weather through Monday. The Met Office has issued a yellow wind warning and predicts potential weather-related travel disruptions.
On the previous day, Eurostar passengers faced cancellations, among them two Sydney natives who expressed disappointment over potentially missing their planned New Year’s celebration in Paris, where they had booked a special hotel.
Southeastern Railway has confirmed its high-speed services are operating as usual from St Pancras. HS1, the company overseeing the railway route to the Channel Tunnel, reported that speed limits were lifted at 11am. They apologized to passengers for the inconvenience during the holiday season and plan to investigate the flood’s cause, indicating it doesn’t seem related to the fire system’s water pipe as initially thought.
HS1's engineering director, Richard Thorp, stated the flood volume was unprecedented and overwhelmed the pumping system.
Additionally, due to staff shortages, many domestic rail services have been canceled, including Northern Trains routes, with a travel advisory for December 31st. Disruptions have also affected Thameslink and some Transport for Wales services may be impacted by severe weather through Monday. The Met Office has issued a yellow wind warning and predicts potential weather-related travel disruptions.
On the previous day, Eurostar passengers faced cancellations, among them two Sydney natives who expressed disappointment over potentially missing their planned New Year’s celebration in Paris, where they had booked a special hotel.
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