Eurostar chaos as London-Paris train stuck in Channel Tunnel for 3 hours

Passengers were stuck on a Eurostar train in the Channel Tunnel for two-and-a-half hours after an apparent breakdown of the London to Paris service. They are finally expected to arrive in the French capital six hours behind schedule.

On one of the busiest travel days of the festive season, the first train of the day from London St Pancras International departed on time at 6.01am. It was due to arrive at Paris Gare du Nord at 9.20am local time. But it broke down in the Channel Tunnel.

Gaby Koppel, a television producer, told The Independent: “We stopped in the tunnel about an hour into the journey, so roughly 7am UK time.

“There were occasional loudspeaker announcements saying they did not know what the fault was.

“Eventually they said at 9am that we would get going ‘in 20 minutes’ but we are still here.

“Some of the lighting in the carriage has been switched down, but it has become very stuffy in the carriage.”

The train eventually started moving at 9.30am. Passengers have been taken to Calais Fréthun station to await a replacement train. They are expected to be at least four-and-a-half hours late arriving in Paris.

Ms Koppel said: “We were due at the Pompidou Centre at noon. Cross fingers they take pity on us.”

Alicia Peters, an operations supervisor, is on the train taking her daughter to Disneyland Paris.

“Sitting for 2.5 hours on a stationary train with my eight-year-old daughter was very stressful,” she told The Independent.

“She was very worried as we heard a noise and then there was no power.

“It was very hot and we didn’t really know when we would be moving as they were unable to provide any timeframe.”

Ms Peters later said: “We don’t know how long we have to wait either for a replacement train, so we have to just sit once we arrive – we’ve been told they cannot open the door until it arrives.”

Another passenger, Lisa Levine, posted on X: “What a mess. We were trapped for hours and hours in a tunnel. No idea of when we were go get out.

“Now transferred to another train and literally missing out entire day in Paris. Do better Eurostar. Communicate with your paying customers.”

Eurostar now says arrival at Gare du Nord is expected to be at 3.20pm, rather than 9.20am.

All the following trains in both directions are also disrupted after the tunnel switched to single-bore operations to avoid the stricken train.

At London St Pancras, arrivals from Paris, Brussels and Amsterdam are running 30 to 70 minutes behind schedule.

A spokesperson for Eurostar said: “The 6.01am Eurostar service from London to Paris experienced a technical issue this morning while travelling through the Channel Tunnel.

“Once safety investigations were completed, the train ran at reduced speed to Calais where customers were transferred to another Eurostar train, and are now continuing their journey to Paris.

“During the Calais transfer, customers were offered hot drinks and water.

“The safety and wellbeing of our customers is always our priority. We’re really sorry for the inconvenience and delay to their journey today.

“As a result of the incident this morning, Eurostar services to and from Paris are experiencing delays of up to an hour.”

The 11.30am, 12.30pm and 1.30pm arrivals from Paris to London are currently shown as 50, 70 and 30 minutes behind schedule respectively. Compensation is payable for delays of one hour or more.

Scammers soon began work on social media to try to extract cash from frustrated passengers. One fake account, “@Eurostarhelp_X_” has been urging travellers to respond to direct messages that lead to attempted fraud.

The Independent has reported the fake account to X.

Last Christmas thousands of Eurostar passengers had their trains cancelled due to a strike by Eurotunnel workers.

Eurotunnel vehicle shuttles between Folkestone and Calais are also severely disrupted as a result of the Eurostar breakdown. Drivers are being warned: “Due to a technical issue a Eurostar train stopped in the tunnel.

“We are working hard to get you away as soon as possible. The current wait time is 3 hours. We apologise for any inconvenience caused.”