Latest news with #FranBirch
Yahoo
07-03-2025
- Yahoo
Eurostar to resume London-Paris services on Saturday
Eurostar said it expects to resume services between London and Paris on Saturday. The operator cancelled all 32 trains scheduled to run between the cities on Friday after the discovery of an unexploded Second World War bomb near tracks in the French capital. The company said it will run one extra service in each direction on Saturday in addition to its usual timetable. Thousands of passengers booked on services on Friday saw their travel plans wrecked. Crowds gathered at London St Pancras and Paris Gare du Nord stations in the hope of boarding afternoon departures as initially only services in the morning were cancelled. Charlotte Liddell, from London, was planning to travel to Paris on Friday for her hen party. With some others in the party already in Paris after flying from northern England, said told the PA news agency: 'It's the hen do without the hen!' She added: 'We're very upset.' Fran Birch, one of Ms Liddell's maids of honour, said the age of the bomb means the authorities should 'just let it lie'. Lauren Romeo-Smith, part of a group booked to visit Paris for a birthday celebration, said: 'We would have thought there would be more Eurostar staff. 'We're looking up flights, but our options are limited.' Eurostar said in a statement: 'Eurostar sincerely apologises for the disruption and understands the inconvenience this may cause. 'We appreciate everyone's patience and co-operation during this time.' Fridays are one of the busiest days of the week for Eurostar as many leisure travellers embark on international weekend breaks. Passengers whose trains were cancelled were given the option of requesting a refund or voucher for the value of their booking, or to rebook for travel on an alternative service. British Airways said it added an extra flight in each direction between Heathrow and Paris Charles de Gaulle on Friday, and is using larger aircraft on the route to further increase capacity. It was selling seats on one of its flights for £463. All three of easyJet's flights from Gatwick to Charles de Gaulle after midday on Friday were fully booked. P&O Ferries said it has added extra sailings for foot passengers between Dover and Calais. The bomb was discovered at around 4am on Friday during work on tracks in the St Denis area of northern Paris. This resulted in the suspension of all services to and from Gare du Nord, which is Eurostar's station in Paris. Gare du Nord also connects Paris with other international destinations such as in Belgium, the Netherlands and Germany, as well as being used for domestic services. It is considered the world's busiest railway station outside Japan. Bombs left over from the world wars are regularly discovered in France, but it is rare for them to be found in such densely populated areas. Eurostar trains between London and Brussels were unaffected.
The Independent
07-03-2025
- The Independent
Eurostar to resume London-Paris services on Saturday
Eurostar said it expects to resume services between London and Paris on Saturday. The operator cancelled all 32 trains scheduled to run between the cities on Friday after the discovery of an unexploded Second World War bomb near tracks in the French capital. The company said it will run one extra service in each direction on Saturday in addition to its usual timetable. Thousands of passengers booked on services on Friday saw their travel plans wrecked. Crowds gathered at London St Pancras and Paris Gare du Nord stations in the hope of boarding afternoon departures as initially only services in the morning were cancelled. Charlotte Liddell, from London, was planning to travel to Paris on Friday for her hen party. With some others in the party already in Paris after flying from northern England, said told the PA news agency: 'It's the hen do without the hen!' She added: 'We're very upset.' Fran Birch, one of Ms Liddell's maids of honour, said the age of the bomb means the authorities should 'just let it lie'. Lauren Romeo-Smith, part of a group booked to visit Paris for a birthday celebration, said: 'We would have thought there would be more Eurostar staff. 'We're looking up flights, but our options are limited.' Eurostar said in a statement: 'Eurostar sincerely apologises for the disruption and understands the inconvenience this may cause. 'We appreciate everyone's patience and co-operation during this time.' Fridays are one of the busiest days of the week for Eurostar as many leisure travellers embark on international weekend breaks. Passengers whose trains were cancelled were given the option of requesting a refund or voucher for the value of their booking, or to rebook for travel on an alternative service. British Airways said it added an extra flight in each direction between Heathrow and Paris Charles de Gaulle on Friday, and is using larger aircraft on the route to further increase capacity. It was selling seats on one of its flights for £463. All three of easyJet's flights from Gatwick to Charles de Gaulle after midday on Friday were fully booked. P&O Ferries said it has added extra sailings for foot passengers between Dover and Calais. The bomb was discovered at around 4am on Friday during work on tracks in the St Denis area of northern Paris. This resulted in the suspension of all services to and from Gare du Nord, which is Eurostar's station in Paris. Gare du Nord also connects Paris with other international destinations such as in Belgium, the Netherlands and Germany, as well as being used for domestic services. It is considered the world's busiest railway station outside Japan. Bombs left over from the world wars are regularly discovered in France, but it is rare for them to be found in such densely populated areas. Eurostar trains between London and Brussels were unaffected.
