**London/Calais** – Eurostar services faced severe disruption and numerous cancellations on Tuesday, a critical juncture in the year-end holiday travel period, following a significant power outage within the Channel Tunnel. The incident, which brought all rail traffic to a standstill for a period, left thousands of passengers stranded and their festive plans in disarray.
The disruption commenced when a power supply issue manifested within the vital undersea link, precipitating a cascade of operational problems. A Eurotunnel Le Shuttle service, carrying road vehicles and their occupants, was forced to stop inside the tunnel, exacerbating the already precarious situation. In response to the escalating difficulties and the ensuing uncertainty, Eurostar, the primary passenger rail operator through the tunnel, initially suspended all departures from London to its key continental destinations: Paris, Amsterdam, and Brussels. The company's immediate advice to passengers was stark: "All journeys to and from London are suspended until further notice."
The root cause of the widespread paralysis has been attributed to faulty overhead cables within the Channel Tunnel, necessitating urgent repair work. This technical malfunction not only halted Eurostar's high-speed passenger trains but also impacted Eurotunnel LeShuttle operations, which ferry cars and their passengers between Folkestone and Calais. While Le Shuttle services began a slow and tentative resumption on a single track shortly before 3 PM local time, the recommencement of Eurostar's full schedule remained uncertain, with passengers facing prolonged delays and the persistent threat of further last-minute cancellations.
By mid-afternoon, Eurostar began to cautiously reintroduce some services, albeit with significant delays. The 15:04 departure from London to Brussels, for instance, eventually left after 4 PM. Later services, including the 17:31 and 18:01 to Paris, and the 18:04 to Amsterdam, were still listed on departure boards, but their timely operation was far from guaranteed. The full extent of the disruption was anticipated to persist for the remainder of the day, casting a pall over the end-of-year celebrations for many.
The incident has underscored the inherent fragility of critical infrastructure and its profound impact on international connectivity. Passengers arriving at London St Pancras International found themselves in a state of anxious confusion, many scrambling to re-evaluate their travel arrangements or make alternative, often more expensive, bookings. The Department for Transport and National Rail are understood to be monitoring the situation closely, liaising with both Eurostar and Eurotunnel to facilitate the restoration of normal service and to manage the fallout for affected travellers. Passengers were strongly advised to postpone their journeys if possible and, for those whose trains were cancelled, to refrain from travelling to the station. The unforeseen halt of a Le Shuttle train, which was subsequently removed from the tunnel, further complicated the efforts to resolve the technical issues and clear the backlog of frustrated travellers.