© Reuters. Passengers gather at the departure gates of the Eurostar terminal at St Pancras International Station after the services are cancelled due to a flooded tunnel, in London, Britain, December 30, 2023. REUTERS/Belinda Jiao
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PARIS/LONDON (Reuters) -Flooding in railway tunnels in southeastern England forced the cancellation of all trains linking London with the European mainland on Saturday, international rail operator Eurostar said, disrupting New Year holiday travel for thousands of passengers.
Eurostar had initially cancelled 14 trains running on Saturday but said it had decided to cancel all of the day’s services – a total of 41 trains – as the flooding persisted.
It was not immediately clear what had caused the flooding in the railway tunnels under the River Thames near Ebbsfleet, east of London.
Parts of England have faced heavy rain in recent days and an official “yellow warning” for strong and gusty winds is in place in southern England.
Television footage showed water gushing into one of the tunnels and covering the track, while at St Pancras station in London, hundreds of stranded passengers with suitcases sat waiting on the concourse.
“We understand this is a vital time to get home at the end of the festive season and ahead of New Year and we are supporting customers in stations,” Eurostar said in an emailed statement.
The cancellation is the second disruption for Eurostar customers during this holiday season. On Dec. 21, a surprise industrial strike by French workers thwarted Christmas travel plans for thousands.
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