UPDATEEurostar trains between London and mainland Europe will resume service today. The train company announced this on Saturday evening. All trains were forced to be canceled today due to a flooded tunnel tube near London, which left hundreds of travelers stranded in Brussels South.
LOOK. The tunnel in England was completely flooded with water on Saturday
In a statement to ‘Sky News’, the company said the flooding has been brought under control, allowing train services to resume. Eurostar does warn of delays because speed restrictions will still be in force. Eurostar says it regrets Saturday’s canceled trains and points out affected customers the option to rebook or request a refund.
Thousands of people stranded
In a press release, Eurostar indicated that a total of 41 trains were canceled, impacting around 30,000 passengers. They got stuck in Brussels, London, Paris or Amsterdam. At St. Pancras station in London it was chaos all day with stranded travelers. Some irate customers only found out there were no trains running when they arrived at St Pancras this morning. Reportedly, some went back home to pack the car and try to cross by ferry. Others chose to book flights.
Still others waited for hours in the station for more information and possibly a later train. After all Eurostar trains in the morning and afternoon had already been canceled, the disappointing news finally arrived in the afternoon that there would no longer be a single high-speed train from London to Paris, Amsterdam and Brussels and vice versa. This involved a total of 41 canceled trains.
What had happened in the railway tunnel?
The flooding occurred in a tunnel near Ebbsfleet International railway station in Kent. That station is located under the Thames, about 40 kilometers from the center of London. Images showed that the track was completely flooded.
The United Kingdom has been hit by severe weather for several days. In the south of England and Wales, code yellow applies for rain and wind, in the north of England and Scotland, code yellow applies for rain and snow. The British Weather Service warns of flooding and traffic disruptions.
Chaos in Brussels too
At the Brussels South train station, many people also waited lost in the station hall all day long: many Flemish people saw their journey to the British capital canceled and ended up stranded in Brussels. “We and our family have been stranded in Brussels South since 7 o’clock this morning,” Benny Slaets told our editors this morning. “The annoying thing about the whole situation is the fact that we are not receiving any information at all.”
Several travelers also confirmed this to the editors of ‘VTM NIEUWS’. “The people at Securitas were helpful, but otherwise we have not heard anything from Eurostar itself and we are not getting any news on the website either,” said traveler Ben Dehaeck on Saturday afternoon.
There were also Flemish people stuck in London. “We have now rebooked our train for Sunday,” Margaux Vandecandelaere testified to ‘VTM NIEUWS’ from the British capital. Margaux was supposed to stay in London with her mother and sister for three days, but they are now staying an extra night. “We hope to be home in time for New Year’s.”
WATCH ALSO. Travelers testified about the chaos from Brussels and London:
WATCH ALSO. What can victims do?
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