George Wrightand
Jacob Phillips & Nicky Schiller,London St Pancras International
Some Eurostar services have resumed after all trains from London to Paris, Amsterdam and Brussels were cancelled due to a power outage in the Channel Tunnel.
Trains that have not been cancelled will be subject to “severe delays and possible last-minute cancellations” following the tunnel’s partial reopening, and passengers are advised to postpone their travel to a different date, Eurostar said.
LeShuttle services – which carries road vehicles and passengers through the tunnel between Folkestone and Calais – have also resumed.
Earlier a problem with the overhead power supply and a broken down LeShuttle train blocked all routes, causing travel chaos for thousands trying to get away.
The rail operator suspended services until further notice.
By midday on Tuesday, at least a dozen Eurostar services between the UK, France, Belgium and the Netherlands had been cancelled.
The rail operator apologised and said passengers could rearrange their plans free of charge or can cancel their booking and get a refund or an e-voucher.
Passengers told the BBC how they had been left stranded and looking for alternative routes to get to their destination.
Two American tourists spent hundreds of pounds to reach Paris on Wednesday after their Eurostar service was cancelled from London St Pancras International.
Haley Adams, 38, and Hannah Hagar, 35, paid $580 (£430) for flights to the French capital to celebrate Hannah’s 36th birthday there.
The pair had their Eurostar tickets refunded but said they will have to pay for an extra night at a hotel in London and cannot get a refund from the hotel they were going to stay at in Paris tonight.
“There’s been a lot of queuing,” Adams said. “We have been here for five hours.”
A family from Mexico said their trip of a lifetime has been cast into doubt as their Eurostar service was cancelled.
Monserrat Hernandes, her brother John Paul and mother Olga were among dozens of people looking frantically at their phones near the Eurostar departure area at St Pancras.
The family got on the Eurostar just after 08:00 GMT but after their train left for Paris it had to return due to the incident.
“They say nothing is travelling today… there’s no hope for leaving tomorrow,” she said.
They are now searching for a flight or a ferry to make it to Paris.
“It’s like an American movie,” she added. “Hopefully I find the love of my life.”
In France, Ben Clark, from Bedfordshire, said he had been stuck on-board Le Shuttle in Calais with his wife and three daughters for hours.
“The first two-and-a-half hours weren’t too bad but the girls have got restless in the last half an hour so we’ve let them run around the boarding carriage to burn off some energy,” he said.
“Some people are getting angry but there’s nothing that can be done, others are sleeping in their cars. We have used up our snacks and now have no plan B or C.”
National Rail has advised passengers not to come to London St Pancras International if their Eurostar train is cancelled, while the Department for Transport said disruption is “likely for the remainder of the day” while faulty overhead cables are repaired.
Currently only one of two main tunnels in the Channel Tunnel is available for trains to run on, Eurostar said in a statement to the BBC.
Eurostar’s services resumed with the 15:04 train from London to Brussels departing after 16:00.
As of 18:00, only a few services to Paris Gare du Nord and Brussels were scheduled to depart London St Pancras International this evening.
The broken down LeShuttle train was also moved out of the Channel Tunnel. The operator said none of its passengers were stranded inside the tunnel after the power failure caused its closure.
LeShuttle has apologised and warned of delays at check-in and departures.
The LeShuttle service “resumed very gradually on one track” shortly before 15:00 local time (14:00 GMT), the EuroTunnel Press Office said.
“Service is operating alternately in both directions with significant delays,” it said, adding that “additional shuttles will be added in the evening and until tomorrow morning”.
Traffic has also eased on the M20 after cars hoping to cross the Channel Tunnel caused traffic jams near the LeShuttle Terminal in Folkestone.
Eurostar disruption: Are you affected?
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