Eurostar said it plans to run a full service on Wednesday but warned of possible knock-on disruptions after a power supply issue halted Channel tunnel train trips connecting London to the European mainland.
Travellers making journeys in the busy run-up to the new year were left scrambling to find alternatives after the operator postponed all services between London, Paris, Amsterdam and Brussels.
“Services have resumed today following a power issue in the Channel tunnel yesterday and some further issues with rail infrastructure overnight,” said a Eurostar statement.
“We plan to run all of our services today, however due to knock-on impacts there may still be some delays and possible last-minute cancellations.”
The service had earlier warned passengers to postpone their journeys to a different date and warned them of severe delays as well as last-minute cancellations.
Eurostar’s site earlier showed that even services on the continent not using the Channel tunnel – such as ones between Paris and Brussels – had been cancelled during the day.
As well as the power problem, there was also a failed LeShuttle train in the Channel tunnel, the 31-mile (50km) undersea rail link between Folkestone in south-east England and Coquelles in northern France.
Crowds of stranded travellers, many with suitcases, swelled at London’s St Pancras International station and Gare du Nord in Paris as they were notified that their end-of-year holiday plans were being thrown into doubt.
A record 19.5 million passengers travelled on Eurostar in 2024, up nearly 5% 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. The Virgin businessman Richard Branson 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 affects Eurostar at a time when the company faces criticism over its high fares, especially between Paris and London.
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.
LeShuttle operates vehicle-carrying trains between Folkestone in south-east England and Calais in northern France.
