Thousands Stranded as London to Paris Eurostar Trains Cancelled Following Power Failure in France

Overview

Thousands of Eurostar passengers are facing major travel disruption today after a power failure forced the cancellation of services between London and Paris.

A total of nine trains have been cancelled, with a further 12 delayed, following a power outage on the high-speed rail line between Moussy and Longueil in northern France.

The fault, which began at approximately 8:30am local time, has resulted in significant delays and diversions, with services rerouted onto slower conventional lines. Disruption is expected to continue throughout the day.

Passengers Advised to Postpone Travel

Eurostar is urging affected travellers to postpone their journeys where possible. A spokesperson for the rail operator said:

“We advise passengers on these routes to postpone their journey if possible. They can exchange their ticket free of charge or request a full refund.”

Additional Eurostar staff have been deployed at London St Pancras, Paris Gare du Nord, and other key stations to assist passengers as queues build.

Wider Impact Across Europe

The disruption has not only affected London-Paris services but also Eurostar routes between Amsterdam, Brussels, and Paris. Services between London-Amsterdam, Brussels-London, Brussels-Amsterdam, and Brussels-Cologne remain unaffected.

The power failure comes during one of the busiest travel periods of the year, with August traditionally seeing a surge in cross-Channel travel due to summer holidays.

Eurostar Working to Restore Normal Service

Eurostar has apologised to customers, thanking them for their patience.

“We continue to do everything possible to assist our passengers to the best of our ability,” the spokesperson added.

French infrastructure teams are currently working to rectify the fault on the affected section of track, but no estimated time for full service restoration has been provided.

What Passengers Should Do:

• Check Eurostar’s website or app for live updates.

• Free ticket exchanges or full refunds are being offered for affected services.

• Passengers are advised to allow extra time at stations and to be prepared for extended journey durations.