Flooded tunnel near London disrupts Eurostar train services

Passengers queue at the departure gates of the Eurostar terminal at Gare du Nord train station, as flooding in a railway tunnel near London forced the cancellation of more than a dozen trains linking Britain with the European mainland, in Paris, France, December 30, 2023. Photographer Benoit Tessier




By Reuters

Flooding in a railway tunnel near London forced the cancellation of more than a dozen trains linking Britain with the European mainland early on Saturday, international rail operator Eurostar said.

“Eurostar services to and from London are being cancelled and there are severe delays to services due to infrastructure issues caused by flooding in one of the Thames tunnels located between St Pancras International and Ebbsfleet”, the company said.




The cancellations, which so far concern at least 14 trips between London and Paris, Amsterdam or Brussels, are the second blow for Eurostar customers during this year’s holiday season. On Dec. 21, a French surprise strike action thwarted Christmas travel plans for thousands.

It was not immediately clear when rail traffic would be able to resume.