International rail operator Eurostar canceled on Saturday 41 trains scheduled for Saturday due to tunnel flooding in England.
“Flooding in the tunnels between St Pancras international and Ebbsfleet has not improved and train services are unable to operate”, Eurostar said in a statement, adding: “This is a total of 41 trains.”
It added that Network Rail, Britain’s grid operator, was keeping it updated regarding how the situation is evolving ahead of Sunday.
Thousands of passengers were stranded ahead of New Year’s Eve, struggling to reach their destinations within Europe. Canceled trains were to operate between major European cities including London, Paris, Brussels and Amsterdam.
Floods inundated the tunnels near Ebbsfleet International station in Kent, with the Met Office issuing weather warnings for rain, snow and ice across large swathes of the country.
What do we know about the train disruptions?
Eurostar, which is 55.75% owned by French state-owned SNCF Voyageurs, apologized to its customers.
“Due to an infrastructure problem on the high-speed line near London, we’re having to cancel some trains on our route to/from London on Saturday 30 December,” the service provider said on its website.
The British rail service Southeastern Railway also announced national train cancellations due to flooding. Affected stations include Ebbsfleet International, Stratford International and London St Pancras International.
It said no high-speed trains were expected to run between St Pancras and Ashford International.
“We are working to fix the flooding in the tunnels,” it said.
The Met Office has issued yellow weather alerts for wind, rain and ice for various parts of England, Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland that may last until New Year’s Eve.
rmt/sms (AFP, dpa)
