Scores of passengers were stranded on Tuesday, December 30, 2025, after Eurostar suspended train services in Europe, following a power supply issue in the Channel tunnel.
Passengers were left scrambling to find alternatives after the operator postponed all services between London, Paris, Amsterdam, and Brussels.
A statement on Eurostar website read: “Due to a problem with the overhead power supply and a subsequent failed Le Shuttle train the Channel tunnel is currently closed.
“Unfortunately, this means we have no choice but to suspend all services today until further notice.
“Please do not come to the station. We’re very sorry for the impact the situation may have on your travel plans.”
Eurostar’s site showed that even its services on the Continent not using the Channel tunnel – such as ones between Paris and Brussels – were also cancelled.
Crowds of stranded travellers, many with suitcases, swelled at London’s St Pancras station and at Gare du Nord in Paris as the notification went out that their end-of-year holiday plans were being thrown into doubt.
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“I’m disappointed. We were going to do New Year’s Eve in Paris,” Jessica, a 21-year-old business coordinator looking to travel to France with three friends told AFP in London.
“We are going to see if we can find another ticket. Otherwise we will stay in London,” the traveller added.
A record-high 19.5 million passengers travelled on Eurostar last year, up nearly five per cent on 2023, driven by demand from visitors to the Olympics and Paralympics in Paris.
Eurostar has held a monopoly on passenger services through the tunnel linking Britain and France since it opened in 1994.
But British entrepreneur Richard Branson – the man behind the Virgin airline – has vowed to launch a rival service.
Italy’s Trenitalia has also said it intends to compete with Eurostar on the Paris-London route by 2029.
Tuesday’s disruption was the latest to affect Eurostar at a time when the company has faced criticism over its high prices, especially on the Paris-London route.
An electrical fault forced the cancellation of Eurostar services and severe delays on others in August.
The theft of cables on train tracks in northern France caused two days of problems in June.
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