Eurostar chaos as London-Paris train stuck in Channel Tunnel for 2.5 hours
Daily Info | 27.12.2024 17:23 
On one of the busiest travel days of the festive season, the first train of the day from London St Pancras International departed on time at 6.01am. It was due to arrive at Paris Gare du Nord at 9.20am local time.
But the train is now three hours late after stopping in the tunnel.
Gaby Koppel, a TV producer, told The Independent: “We stopped in the tunnel about an hour into the journey, so roughly 7am UK time.
“There were occasional loudspeaker announcements saying they did not know what the fault was.
“Eventually they said at 9am that we would get going ‘in 20 minutes’ but we are still here.
“Some of the lighting in the carriage has been switched down, but it has become very stuffy in the carriage.”
The train eventually started moving at 9.30am, and is expected to be four-and-a-half hours late.
Alicia Peters, an operations supervisor, is on the train taking her daughter to Disneyland Paris.
“Sitting for 2.5 hours on a stationary train with my eight-year-old daughter was very stressful,” she told The Independent.
“She was very worried as we heard a noise and then there was no power.
“It was very hot and we didn’t really know when we would be moving as they were unable to provide any timeframe.”
All the following trains in both directions are also severely disrupted after the tunnel switched to single-bore operations to avoid the stricken train.
Ms Koppel said: “We were due at the Pompidou Centre at noon. Cross fingers they take pity on us.”
At London St Pancras, most arrivals from Paris, Brussels and Amsterdam are running 30 to 60 minutes behind schedule.
The disarray is likely to cause cancellations later in the days at a time when Eurostar services are extremely heavily booked.
The Independent has asked Eurostar about the disruption.
Last Christmas thousands of Eurostar passengers had their trains cancelled due to a strike by Eurotunnel workers.
