Unusual: Eurostar canceled all high-speed trains due to a flooded tunnel in London and there are 30,000 stranded on New Year’s Eve

Flooding of key tunnels in southern Britain has forced the suspension of all services on the Eurostar, the rail service linking London with Paris and other major European cities. The unusual situation continues around 30 thousand passengers stranded in various stations, hours before the New Year celebration.

The railway company announced this Saturday the cancellation of all trains until the end of the day. It’s about services Eurostar to and from London and which connect the British capital with the continent below the Channel, towards Paris, Brussels and Amsterdam.

It’s for the flooding of tunnels between St Pancras International and Ebbsfleetthe stations east of the capital and south-east of England.

The water company Thames Water explained that the reason for the flooding, in a tunnel under the Thames, was probably a fault in the “fire prevention system”, and not the rupture of one of its pipes.

A video distributed by the Ferrovie Sud-Est company, which went viral on social networks, showed the tunnel flooded by water coming out of a pipe from the side walls.

Following the suspension of trains this Saturday, around 30 thousand people remained blocked on the eve of the New Year’s Eve celebrations, in London, Paris, Brussels or Amsterdam. It’s also one of the busiest weekends of the year.

41 canceled services and apologies

This was reported in a company press release A total of 41 trains were cancelled. The company asked customers to visit the website to “find out what compensation they are entitled to.”

British rail operator South Eastern Railway said on Saturday morning that disruptions could last “until the end of the day”. At midday, in St Pancras, thousands of passengers waited, phones in hand, hoping to book a flight, a ferry or a hotel in London.

“We apologize for any impact this has caused and appreciate your understanding,” the company said.

It is not known whether the flooded tracks will be able to be used today, although the rail network maintenance company has said it is an issue that will “take time” to resolve.

Eurostar offers travelers three options: change trains for another day, cancel the booking and request a voucher that will be valid for 12 months or cancel the trip and get a refund.

This is the second disruption to Eurostar services in less than ten days, after the company’s workers in France unexpectedly declared a “last minute strike” on 21 December.

A total of 30 trains were canceled that day. Traffic resumed on 22 December thanks to an agreement reached in a flash negotiation between the unions and the management of the group, 55.75% owned by the French public railways SNCF.