LONDON:A fire-control system caused a leak in the Thames Tunnel that disrupted the travel plans of thousands of passengers who wanted to take Eurostar trains to and from London St Pancras on New Year’s Eve. More than 30,000 travellers were stuck or had to look for other ways to get to their destinations as Eurostar cancelled 41 trains to and from Paris, Amsterdam and Brussels.
Southeastern trains between St Pancras, Favesham and Ashford International were also affected by the flooding, which was found on Friday night. Engineers working on the tunnel said the water levels were going down but the situation was still uncertain and the problems could continue until Sunday.
Thameslink also warned of delays on its services due to staff shortages, which also affected Northern Rail, which operates in the north of England.
Chiltern Railways cancelled one of the few trains leaving London after midnight on New Year’s Eve, saying there was a high risk of disruption. The chaos followed a warning from rail bosses to travel on Friday to avoid missing New Year’s Eve celebrations on Sunday.
West Midlands Railway and London Northwestern Railway said there would be very few options for passengers once the final services, which were expected to be very crowded, had left.
They also warned of congestion and queues at London Euston and Birmingham New Street. This was the second time in 10 days that Eurostar services had been disrupted, after a last-minute strike by French workers stopped trains before Christmas. Eurostar apologised to customers for the inconvenience and said safety was its top priority. “We know this is a crucial time to get home at the end of the festive season and before New Year and we are helping customers in stations,” it said.
A spokesman for HS1, which is in charge of the route’s infrastructure, also said sorry. “We are trying our best to restore services but this is difficult and will take some time,” he said.
