Eurostar services in both directions between St Pancras International and Gare Du Nord are currently experiencing severe delays and last-minute cancellations amidst a situation that has now been described by the international rail provider as ‘total chaos’.
Around 600 metres of copper cables were reportedly ‘stolen or severed’ near Lille, resulting in huge disruptions to the line. Track engineers are currently working to fix the issues, but Eurostar has now advised passengers to cancel or postpone their journeys due to the ongoing disruption to services.
Services on the routes between London and the likes of Brussels and Amsterdam are supposedly also experiencing delays, but none have (as of yet) been entirely cancelled. Passengers affected by the delays and cancellations have been advised that they can change their travel plans free of charge or claim a full refund for their journey if it was delayed by more than 60 minutes.
Today’s delays come following the cancellation of various Eurostar services yesterday (June 24) when two separate fatalities sadly took place on the tracks near Lille.
A Eurostar spokesperson said: “This morning, disruption continues due to the knock-on impact of displaces trains and crew. Further to this, services have been further affected by an incident of cable theft on the same line near Lille. Trains are being re-routed via diversionary routes, which is leading to extended journey times.
“We’re very sorry for the impact this is having on our customers. Our teams are working closely with the French authorities and infrastructure teams to manage the situation and restore services safely.