Eurostar and Le Shuttle services between the UK and France have returned to normal after major disruption in the Channel Tunnel left thousands of passengers
stranded and forced widespread cancellations on one of the busiest travel days of the year.
Most Eurostar trains were cancelled on Tuesday after an overhead power supply fault, compounded by a broken-down Le Shuttle train, brought all tunnel traffic to a halt. The incident caused hours-long delays and threw New Year’s Eve travel plans into chaos for passengers heading between London and major European cities.
Repair work continued overnight, allowing services in both directions to resume on Wednesday morning. Eurostar said the majority of its Wednesday morning departures to and from London St Pancras were running, with only three services cancelled — one each to Paris, Brussels and Amsterdam.
Despite the improvement, the rail operator warned of potential knock-on delays and last-minute cancellations, urging passengers to check live updates before travelling. The company apologised for the disruption and said it planned to operate its full timetable for the day.
Eurostar also announced an additional London–Paris service on Wednesday and confirmed that affected passengers would be entitled to enhanced compensation, including a full refund and an e-voucher worth 150% of the ticket price.
Le Shuttle vehicle services from Folkestone were operating normally on Wednesday, although delays of around an hour were still reported at Calais, down from as much as six hours earlier in the day.
The Channel Tunnel, operated by Getlink, carries both Eurostar passenger trains and Le Shuttle vehicle services. Getlink said engineers worked through the night to resolve the power supply issue, which, along with the stalled shuttle train, blocked all routes on Tuesday.
The disruption affected thousands of travellers attempting to leave the UK for New Year celebrations in Paris, Brussels and Amsterdam. Images of packed platforms at London St Pancras International circulated widely on social media, while congestion built up on roads approaching Le Shuttle’s Folkestone terminal.
Although limited services resumed on Tuesday evening, delays persisted as only one of the tunnel’s two rail lines was operational. Some passengers were left stuck on trains overnight.
Among them was Dennis Van Der Steen, who boarded a London–Amsterdam service shortly before 21:00 on Tuesday. The train was forced to stop before entering the tunnel and, after a six-hour wait, returned to London.
Others found unconventional ways to salvage their plans. One traveller, Floriaen Dullaert, who had been due to travel from Amsterdam to London, bought a €20 bicycle in Brussels, cycled to connect with a train to Dunkirk, and caught a late-night ferry to Dover.
By Wednesday morning, services were largely restored, bringing an end to one of the most significant Channel Tunnel disruptions of the year — though travel operators cautioned that some delays could linger. Photo by Ad Meskens, Wikimedia commons.