- The Continental Rail Service says it is confident trains can run as normal on Sunday
- The chaos of the floods left about 30,000 passengers stranded to and from London
- Have your travel plans been affected today? Email: [email protected]
Eurostar services are set to resume today – amid fears of further delays and disruption to New Year's plans after a day of chaos at St Pancras in London.
'Unprecedented' flooding inside tunnels near Ebbsfleet International in Kent has led to the cancellation of all Continental Rail services from the capital – leaving families 'in tears' after plans to bring in 2024 from Disneyland were foiled.
Eurostar says it aims to operate the services – which are sold out – as planned today, but has warned that they may be subject to delays; Closer to home, home services also face obstacles such as bad weather and staff shortages on New Year's Eve.
An estimated 30,000 passengers traveling to and from London saw their travel plans for Saturday destroyed amid mass cancellations, with some choosing to sleep in St Pancras in the hope of traveling today.
Some travelers hastily tried to arrange alternative routes, while others gave up completely and headed home. But many Britons looking to return home from Europe have also been stranded at Eurostar stations in Brussels, Paris and Amsterdam.
Have your travel plans been affected today? e-mail [email protected]
Passengers gathered at the international railway station early Sunday to board trains bound for the continent.
“Flooding in the Thames tunnels has been brought under control by the high-speed rail network, meaning at least one tunnel can now be used and the full service can be operated,” Eurostar said in a statement.
“There will be some speed restrictions in the morning which may cause delays and stations are expected to be very busy.
“Unfortunately, this unprecedented event has caused significant disruption to customers today (Saturday).”
“Customers are encouraged to visit the Eurostar website for more information about their journey and eligibility for compensation.”
A spokesman for HS1, which runs the route between London and the Channel Tunnel, said: “The flooding in the Thames Tunnel is being resolved by the high-speed rail network and the HS1 line will be operational in the morning.”
“We understand how frustrating this has been for passengers and apologize for the inconvenience caused at such an important time of year.”
The trouble began on Friday night when tunnels filled with water near Ebbsfleet International in Kent, disrupting all high-speed services.
HS1 did not initially reveal the cause of the leak, but the water company said it believed the problem was caused by a burst pipe feeding the tunnel's fire safety system.
Footage filmed in the tunnel showed water pouring out of the pipe and submerging the tracks.
Thames Water said it believed the flooding was caused by “the firefighting system and not the Thames water pipe”.
Some railway tunnels, including the Channel Tunnel, have water systems installed as a fire safety measure.
On Saturday afternoon, engineers working in the tunnel said water levels were falling, but warned that the volume of water was “unprecedented.”
Pictures taken from the Ebbsfleet entrance to the tunnel showed water tanks at the site.
A Met Office spokesman told the PA news agency that the problem was unlikely to be caused by bad weather because “there was no heavy rainfall overnight or in the area”.
Ebbsfleet International, which is on the other side of the flooded tunnel from London, was served by Eurostar, but no international trains have stopped since March 2020, due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The floods have also disrupted South Eastern Railway trains, which will operate a reduced service between Ashford and St Pancras International.
Passengers stranded at St Pancras said the disruption spoiled their New Year's Eve plans, which included going to Disneyland, seeing the Eiffel Tower and going to an ice hockey match.
Mike Hardy, 40, and his partner Nessie surprised twins Samira and Naima, 11, with a trip to Brussels, where they packed their bags and woke up to the news they were going on holiday this morning.
But following the cancellations, the wealth manager from south-east London decided to abandon his New Year's plans altogether and head home, adding that the cancellations had cost him at least £900.
He told MailOnline: “Financially we are in a terrible situation. There are no trains available for tomorrow either.
We have now paid the full cost of the £900 hotel, breakfast which would have been served on the Eurostar for £70, and the money to travel to Leicester Square to entertain the kids.
“We also have non-refundable Legoland tickets. There are no direct flights available, the ferry is booked, and we have no other option (but to return home).
A newlywed couple arriving from New York said their dream of seeing Disneyland Paris in the New Year has been shattered.
Nicole Carrera, 29, and her husband Christopher, 31, had to rebook for an outbound train at 2.30pm on Sunday.
Ms Carrera, who works for cosmetics company L'Oreal, told the PA news agency: 'We've been in London since Wednesday and we wanted to leave today because we were supposed to go to Disney Paris tomorrow for New Year's Eve.'
“So obviously those plans have been ruined because now we won't arrive in Paris tomorrow until around 6pm.”
Among the grieving families was Dublin resident Luana Andrade, 36, who was traveling to Disneyland Paris with her husband, three-year-old son and six relatives who had visited Brazil on their “dream trip.”
“Our problem is getting a night's sleep, because London is really expensive, and we don't have an Airbnb to stay in tonight,” she said.
“We'll have to rearrange everything. I don't think we'll be able to spend New Year's Eve in Paris because even if we get a flight tomorrow we'll get there at around 10pm or 11pm.
Christina David, 25, and Georgina Benjamin, 26, from Sydney, have been traveling to Europe for about three weeks, and their final planned stop is Paris, where they hope to spend New Year's Eve and New Year's Day before returning home on January 7.
“We now have to book a hotel to stay here for the night,” Ms. Benjamin said.
Mrs. David added: We have no place to stay. 'We paid for an expensive hotel (in Paris) with a view of the Eiffel Tower.'
Ms Benjamin added: “We traveled to Europe on a budget, and then, once we get to New Year's, we're going to go hard, and watch Paris light up. I don't think that's going to happen… I'm going to cry.” .'
Matthew Hales, 40, from Colchester, was “devastated” and forced to return home after his partner's surprise trip to Cologne was canceled due to flooding that disrupted Eurostar trains.
The railway worker booked his partner a VIP ticket to a hockey match in Cologne on New Year's Eve.
He told the PA news agency: “My partner and I are big fans of the local ice hockey team and I bought VIP tickets as a surprise for her, so (I'm) absolutely devastated.”
“I had to work over Christmas, so I had some special plans to make up for that with my partner, but now there will be attempts to get the money back, if that's possible, and claims through my insurance company – (it's) not about the money.” Devastated to lose what we had planned.
Separately, there has been a major disruption to Thameslink services across London and across the south-east due to a “shortage of train staff” which will continue until Sunday, the operator said.
The Met Office has warned of possible disruption to domestic flights this weekend, as stormy conditions sweep across the UK.
A rain and snow warning has been issued for much of Scotland.
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