ADVERTISEMENTEurostar passengers are facing a second day of major delays and cancellations after two people died on the track in France on Tuesday, and then cables were stolen near Lille on Wednesday.
There are “severe delays and last-minute cancellations” in both directions between London and Paris. Trains between London St Pancras and Paris Gare Du Nord were either delayed or cancelled until 11:30am CEST. Predicted delays range from 40 minutes to 2 hours.
Trains that are running are also being forced to take alternative routes, causing extended journey times.
Services on the London-Brussels-Amsterdam route are running without delays.
Cable theft is causing travel chaos
Today's delays were caused by the theft of around 600 metres of copper cables overnight along the track bordering Mont-de-Terre station, between Lille and Lezennes, according to reports in French media.
It has disrupted dozens of high-speed services with French regional train operator TER Hauts de France saying delays were expected until early afternoon.
It comes after the LGV Nord high-speed line between Lille and Paris was closed for much of Tuesday following the deaths of two people in separate incidents on the line.
Eurostar said the effects of Tuesday's disruption had continued into Wednesday morning, then the cable thefts compounded the problem.
What should you do if you are travelling with Eurostar today?
Eurostar has advised passengers to cancel or postpone their trip.
“We’re deeply sorry to confirm that two fatalities occurred yesterday on the high-speed line between Lille and Paris. Disruption has continued due [to] displaced trains and a separate cable theft near Lille,” the international rail operator said in a post on X.
“SNCF Réseau teams are working hard to restore the damaged infrastructure, with one track already opened. This will allow trains to run in both directions until full repairs are completed, expected by around 4pm.”
Eurostar has said that impacted passengers can choose to rearrange their trip for free, cancel and claim an e-voucher to rebook or request a full refund. You have three months from the date you were due to travel to claim your preferred option.
Stations in London and Paris are very busy with stranded or delayed passengers, and the operator said it is handing out water to passengers on delayed trains.
If you are still intending to travel, the operator has advised passengers not to come to the station unless they have a valid ticket for travel today or have exchanged their ticket onto a train that is due to travel today.