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Thousands of travellers faced severe disruption on Saturday after Eurostar cancelled all rail services linking the UK with continental Europe because of flooding.
The cross-channel train operator said it had scrapped journeys from London to Paris, Brussels and Amsterdam after two tunnels running under the Thames flooded on the high-speed line linking the UK capital and the south coast of England.
Eurostar apologised to passengers on Saturday and said it was “monitoring the situation” as infrastructure owner Network Rail worked to fix the damage.
Passengers on both sides of the Channel took to social media to complain that their New Year’s Eve plans had been thrown into chaos, with some stranded travellers giving up and checking into hotels for the night.
UK domestic train company Southeastern also cancelled high-speed services that run through the same tunnels.
Steve White, managing director of Southeastern, said in a message posted on social media company X that a “huge effort is under way . . . to establish the source of the water and increase capacity to remove it”.
White posted pictures showing water pouring into one of the tunnels and submerged tracks.
HS1, a private company with a concession to own and operate the tracks from London to the Channel Tunnel, said the flooding in the tunnels was “unprecedented”.
Eurostar passengers also suffered delays in the run-up to Christmas after a strike by French workers disrupted services on December 21.
The latest travel turmoil capped a miserable festive period across the UK rail network, as engineering works and poor weather combined to cause disruption across several operators.
Passengers travelling on New Year’s Eve in the UK have been urged to check with their train operator before setting off because of engineering works, warnings of further disruption from the weather and staff shortages.
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