Thousands of New Year travelers were stranded after all Eurostar trains, which link London with Paris, were canceled due to flooding in the tunnels.
Eurostar had initially canceled 14 trains running on Saturday but said it had decided to cancel all of the day’s services – a total of 41 trains – as the flooding persisted.
It was not immediately clear what had caused the flooding in the railway tunnels under the River Thames near Ebbsfleet, east of London.
Parts of England have faced heavy rain in recent days and an official “yellow warning” for strong and gusty winds is in place in southern England.
Television footage showed water gushing into one of the tunnels and covering the track, while at St Pancras station in London, hundreds of stranded passengers with suitcases sat waiting on the concourse.
“We understand this is a vital time to get home at the end of the festive season and ahead of New Year and we are supporting customers in stations,” Eurostar said in an emailed statement.
The cancellation is the second disruption for Eurostar customers during this holiday season. On Dec. 21, a surprise industrial strike by French workers thwarted Christmas travel plans for thousands.
In August, flights to and from the U.K. were hit by a technical fault affecting air traffic control systems while in November Storm Ciaran saw ferry crossings and flights canceled.
More than a year of walk-outs by rail workers over pay and conditions amid a cost of living crisis has also impacted travelers.
Although the RMT rail union last month said its members had voted in favor of a pay deal, the Aslef union, which represents drivers, has yet to come to an agreement.
Eurostar is owned 55.75% by French state-owned SNCF Voyageurs.
It almost went bankrupt during the COVID-19 pandemic but was saved with a 290-million-euro bailout from shareholders including the French government.
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