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A recent power failure in the Channel Tunnel has led to significant disruption for Eurostar passengers, throwing many New Year’s Eve travel plans into uncertainty. Thousands of travellers were impacted as services were delayed or cancelled, with some passengers reporting being stranded on trains for over six hours. One individual who boarded the 19:01 train to Paris remained stuck near the tunnel entrance until 03:00 GMT, unsure whether the train would proceed to Paris or return to London.
The disruption was caused by an issue with the overhead power supply combined with a broken down LeShuttle train, which blocked all routes on Tuesday. As a result, all Eurostar services from London to Paris, Amsterdam, and Brussels were cancelled that day. Although some services resumed later on Tuesday evening, only one of the tunnel’s two rail tracks was operational, leading to ongoing delays. Getlink, the company managing the Channel Tunnel, worked overnight to resolve the electrical problem.
On Wednesday, Eurostar announced that all services were planned to run but warned passengers to expect possible delays and last-minute cancellations due to continuing knock-on effects. An update on their website requested travellers to check live train status and timetable updates before travelling. Among the affected, Dennis van der Steen from the Netherlands described being stuck aboard a Eurostar train for six hours, with no power on board and some passengers sleeping while others were anxious. His train ultimately continued to Amsterdam. Another passenger recounted experiencing a “rollercoaster of emotions” as uncertainty lingered about whether the train would complete its journey or return to London, eventually reaching Brussels.
Scenes of hundreds of stranded travellers at London St Pancras International circulated on social media, alongside images of overhead electrical cables scattered across the tracks. Traffic jams also formed near the LeShuttle terminal in Folkestone, where vehicles were caught up by the tunnel closure. People attempting to cross the Channel by car faced lengthy delays; Tim Brown reported being stuck in his vehicle on a LeShuttle train for over three hours without access to food or water. By midday Tuesday, at least a dozen Eurostar trains between the UK, France, Belgium, and the Netherlands had been cancelled. Eurostar issued an apology and offered passengers free rebooking, cancellations, refunds, or vouchers. Customers were advised to avoid arriving at stations if their services were already cancelled and to reschedule their journeys if possible
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