Eurostar trains cancelled and delayed after two people hit by trains near Lille
Eurostar passengers have been stranded for eight hours in Paris and London after two people have been hit and killed by trains.
Services have been cancelled in both directions between London St Pancras International and Gare Du Nord in Paris yesterday evening.
The cancellations came after two people were killed in separate crashes between Lille and Paris.
More trains have been cancelled this morning, with passengers accusing the operator of 'abandoning passengers at midnight'.
Rebecca del Tufo said: 'Utterly appalling service from Eurostat abandoning passengers at midnight in Paris with nowhere to stay. Shocking.' More Trending
Another passenger wrote: '3pm check-in, sit on train for nearly six hours (all food runs out etc), finally go back to Gare du Nord and 1,000 passengers dumped in Paris with no hotels (cheapest room €2000 and they refund only up to €300). Disastrous.'
Utterly appalling service from @Eurostar abandoning passengers at midnight in Paris with nowhere to stay. Shocking. — Rebecca del Tufo (@BeccadT) June 24, 2025
'Difficult' travel conditions are expected for the rest of the day, including crowded carriages, delays and cancellations.
Eurostar said: 'You can expect delays, and some trains will be cancelled because some trainsets never made it to their destination to ensure a departure the next day.
'Also trains will be crowded with passengers from all the cancelled trains yesterday.'
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Daily Mail
an hour ago
- Daily Mail
Thousands of Eurostar passengers facing cancellations and severe delays following cable theft
Thousands of Eurostar passengers are facing travel chaos over train cancellations and delays for the second day in a row. Cancellations began last night with no services running between London St Pancras and Gare du Nord in Paris, after two people were struck by trains near Lille. And now, a cable theft on the high-speed line (LGV Nord) near Lille this morning, has meant that all Eurostar services between London and Brussels/Paris are experiencing disruption, leading to extended journey times. Eurostar has said: 'SNCF Réseau teams are working hard to restore the damaged infrastructure, with one track already reopened. This allows trains to run in both directions until full repairs are completed, expected by around 3pm/4pm CET. 'Customers have been contacted directly with updates and available options, and Eurostar is advising those due to travel today to postpone their journey with free exchanges and refunds available. 'We're very sorry for the continued disruption and the impact this is having on our customers. Our teams are working hard to support customers in the stations.' Cancellations began last night with no services running between London St Pancras and Gare du Nord in Paris Scores of passengers were stranded for more than seven hours with one furious customer accusing the service of 'abandoning passengers at midnight', while another said nearly a thousand people were stuck in Gare du Nord last night with no offers to stay in a hotel. Rebooked trains were again cancelled this morning with several other services delayed today due to 600metres of copper cables being stolen overnight near Lille. Around 15 workers, including cable layers, were dispatched to solve the issue, but repairs were expected to take a good part of the day, French railway operator SNCF said. Eurostar have said this made available services on the London–Brussels–Amsterdam route much longer thanks to having to take alternative routes. The Eurostar website showed that six trips between London and Paris - three in each direction - were cancelled on Wednesday, while other trains were still expected to run. Local police did not immediately provide more details on the cable theft. Some weary holidaymakers have spent hundreds trying to re-book trains while others had to sleep in the station, accusing the train line of 'horrific' customer service. Dominic Read said he had been delayed for seven hours with his new reservation for this morning cancelled, while Joe Mac wrote on X: '€300 isn't remotely close to what hotels were costing last night in the area once the trains were cancelled. 'If you were quick they started at €800 and very quickly went well over €1,000 once all the trains were cancelled and the other trains were heading back to Gare du Nord.' Lana Zovko wrote that she was told she could sleep in an 'empty train because the train station is closing'. Tonia Kats said: 'I've been trying to get to Paris since yesterday, have now brought three £375 tickets in an attempt to get there - two of the three trains were cancelled! 'The customer service and care is horrific! I am expecting refund and compensation plus my lost accommodation in Paris last night.' However, another passenger shared what appeared to be an image of a message from Eurostar that said they were not eligible for a refund even though their train was cancelled twice. 'What am I supposed to do now?' they asked. Eurostar have confirmed that all customers with cancelled services are entitled to a full refund. Rebecca del Tufo said: 'Utterly appalling service from Eurostar abandoning passengers at midnight in Paris with nowhere to stay. Shocking.' Naomi Sanger told KentOnline that she boarded the 4.31pm at Gare Du Nord yesterday but was left stranded at the station after the train did not depart. She claimed that the air con was not working and they were running out of food and drinks. SNCF said around 10 high-speed train trips between Lille and the French capital had also been cancelled. At the train station in Lille, 51-year-old Belgian holidaymaker Marie-Line Ponville was deeply disappointed. She and her daughter had been planning to board a ship in Marseille for a week-long cruise around the Mediterranean but look likely to miss the boat's departure. 'We can't even stay here as we packed our bags for somewhere sunny. I think we will just cancel and go home,' she said. Eurostar said yesterday: 'We are deeply sorry to confirm that there were two separate fatalities on the LGV Nord high-speed line between Lille and Paris yesterday. Our thoughts are with the families and friends of those who lost their lives. 'The line was closed for much of the afternoon and evening, resulting in significant disruption to Eurostar services, including cancellations on routes to and from Paris. 'Trains on the London–Brussels–Amsterdam route continued to run with delays. Disruption is continuing today due to the knock-on impact of displaced trains and crew. 'This morning, services have been further affected by an incident of cable theft on the same line near Lille. Trains are being re-routed via diversionary routes, which is leading to extended journey times. 'We're very sorry for the continued disruption and the impact this is having on our customers. Our teams are working closely with the French authorities and infrastructure teams to manage the situation and restore services safely. 'Customers have been contacted directly with updates and available options. 'Water is being distributed onboard delayed trains, and station teams remain on hand to offer assistance. Affected customers can change their travel plans free of charge or request a full refund.'
ITV News
2 hours ago
- ITV News
Eurostar delayed for hours after track fatalities and cable theft
Thousands of Eurostar passengers are suffering severe delays and cancellations after two track fatalities and cable theft. French media reported that 600 metres of copper cables were stolen overnight near Lille. Eurostar said this is forcing it to run services on alternative routes, causing extended journey times. Its services were already disrupted because many trains and staff members were out of position after two fatalities on rail lines in France on Tuesday. At least five services on its London-Paris route were cancelled on Wednesday, and seven others were delayed by around an hour. The operator said it is handing out water to passengers onboard delayed trains, and has teams at stations to provide assistance. Affected passengers are able to change their travel plans free of charge, or request a full refund. Eurostar said in a statement: 'We are deeply sorry to confirm that there were two separate fatalities on the LGV Nord high-speed line between Lille and Paris yesterday. 'Our thoughts are with the families and friends of those who lost their lives.'
Telegraph
2 hours ago
- Telegraph
Eurostar cancellations continue after cables stolen from track
Eurostar has been hit with further delays after nearly half a mile of cables were vandalised in northern France. The country's railway operator said more than 600 metres of line had been 'stolen or severed' south of Lille. Six trips between London and Paris – three in each direction – had been cancelled on Wednesday morning, as well as delays to Brussels-bound trains. SNCF, in charge of France's high-speed rail service, has sent more than a dozen workers to the area to solve the issue. Juliette Clement, the company's spokesman, said: 'Trains are being redirected via secondary routes, which increases travel times. ' Eurostar advises those who were supposed to travel today to postpone their trip, with free exchanges and refunds available.' Passengers were left stranded for hours on Tuesday and Wednesday morning after two people were struck by trains in separate incidents between Lille and Paris. Journeys were significantly delayed or cancelled in both directions between London St Pancras International and Gare Du Nord in Paris on Tuesday evening. Three trains were also cancelled on Wednesday. Passengers described being sat on stationary trains for hours before returning to Paris and having to sleep at Gare du Nord. Photos showed large queues at both railway stations, while stranded passengers demanded refunds on social media. One passenger attempting the journey from Paris to London wrote on X: '3pm check-in, sit on train for nearly six hours (all food runs out etc), finally go back to Gare du Nord and 1,000 passengers dumped in Paris with no hotels (cheapest room €2000 and they refund only up to €300). Disastrous.' French media reported that the first incident took place between Lille and Paris at around 5pm. The second occurred between Lille and Arras, ICI France reported. In an update on Wednesday morning, Eurostar warned its customers to expect 'difficult' travel conditions with crowded carriages, delays and several cancellations. Responding to a passenger's query on X, the operator said to 'expect delays' from backlogs after train sets never made it to their destination. 'Also trains will be crowded with passengers from all the cancelled trains yesterday.' You can expect delays, and some trains will be cancelled because some trainsets never made it to their destination to ensure a departure the next day. Also trains will be crowded with passengers from all the cancelled trains yesterday. — Eurostar (@Eurostar) June 25, 2025 One train leaving London at 2.31pm on Tuesday was supposed to arrive in Paris at 5.57pm but was delayed for four hours and was not expected to get there until almost 10pm. Millie Race said in a post on X: 'Hey, we have been on the ES 9032 from London to Paris for seven hours; still stopped and not sure when we will be able to make it to Paris. Will we be able to get full compensation for our journey?' Naomi Sanger, from Snodland, told Kent Online she boarded the 4.31pm at Gare Du Nord but it never departed. She has been left stranded at the station. She wrote: 'The supplies of food and drinks are running out, air con is not working, coffee machine broken as is the card machine! Total joke.' And for the passengers stuck at Garde Du Nord on the trains, the supplies of food and drinks are running out, air con is not working, coffee machine broken as is the card machine!! Total joke — Naomi (@naomisanger) June 24, 2025 It is the second time in less than a week that Eurostar services have been disrupted after a person was struck by a train. On June 18, a dozen Eurostar trains from London to Paris were delayed or cancelled after a person was hit on tracks in France.
