Eurostar passengers have been left severely disrupted for the second day in a row. This disorder is a direct result of cable theft and avoidable deaths on the railway trespassing on the French tracks. As a result of the incident, today there have been widespread delays and cancellations on the busy Eurostar routes connecting London, Paris, Brussels, and Amsterdam.
It all started last month, when thieves made off with some 2000 feet of copper cable south of Lille, France. Consequently, Eurostar services were suspended on all routes to and from Paris. The operator managed to reopen just one track, allowing some trains to run in both directions. Even now, frequent routes are still subject to last-minute cancellations and major delays.
On Tuesday afternoon and evening, the train line connecting Lille and Paris closed. This closure came just after the heartbreaking death of two people on the track. This tragic incident added to the burdens that Eurostar was already facing as it struggled to get back to business as usual.
Repairs are expected to be completed by around 16:00 local time (15:00 BST) on Wednesday, but until then, Eurostar has advised passengers to cancel or postpone their travel plans for the day. All have already been touched by the recent wave of cancellations and delays on a number of the nation’s passenger train routes.
Passengers at London’s St Pancras International railway station are enduring huge queues as they try and rebook their trip. Hundreds have formed queues outside the Eurostar service center, seeking assistance from staff who are endeavoring to manage the situation.
Elizabeth Romijn, a frustrated traveler waiting at St Pancras, shared her experience:
“My plan is to just wait. Maybe I should go and be more proactive and go to ask one of the staff but nobody seems to know anything.”
Eurostar high-speed rail passenger service between London, Brussels and Amsterdam are experiencing significant delays. Eurostar are doing all they can to get to the bottom of these reoccurring problems. Passengers are urged to follow along with the latest updates via official sources to learn real-time information that will affect their travel plans.