Eurostar, the high-speed train service connecting Britain and continental Europe, faced hours of delays on Tuesday after a major power failure inside the Channel Tunnel, snarling plans for thousands of people during one of the busiest travel weeks of the year.
The disruption, caused by a fault in the overhead power supply and the subsequent breakdown of a train within the 31-mile tunnel, left passengers stranded for hours. Trains from Paris to London were expected to restart at 5 p.m. Central European Time and from London to Paris two hours later after the tunnel partially reopened, though there would continue to be delays and longer journey times than usual, Eurostar said.
“We continue to advise our customers to rebook their journey for another day if possible, with free exchanges available,” Eurostar said in a statement, urging passengers not to go to affected train stations if their trains had already been canceled. Canceled trains will not be reinstated, Eurostar said.
The company said that it was “awaiting updates” from Eurotunnel, the company that operates the rail link between Britain and France, on what caused the power failure.
Nearly 20 million people last year traveled on Eurostar, which runs trains between London and Paris and also serves Brussels, Amsterdam and a few other cities in northern Europe.
Eurostar first reported the disruption before noon London time. By early afternoon, the train that had broken down — part of a service known as LeShuttle that transports vehicles under the English Channel — had been moved out of the tunnel, and trains were headed back to the cities from which they had departed.
Jylian Repetski, an American who was traveling in Europe over the winter holidays, said she had been stuck on a train heading to Brussels from London for more than five hours. The train, which had been scheduled to leave London just after 7 a.m., departed an hour late and then was stopped in England outside the Channel Tunnel for about four hours, before returning to London around 12:30 p.m., she said.
Ms. Repetski, a director at a technology company who lives outside Philadelphia, said she, her husband, two children, her ex-husband and his wife had planned to spend the day in Belgium sightseeing, enjoying the architecture and sampling Belgian chocolate. It was “definitely a sad waste of five hours during a short trip,” she said.
The Eurostar terminal in London St. Pancras International station was jammed with passengers trying to rearrange their plans, scrolling through Airbnb listings or trying to find ways to get to France by ferry or plane.
Stephanie Letessier, 43, had been trying to get home to the Paris area, but once she found out her train was canceled she quickly arranged to stay with friends in London until Friday. “I was just supposed to go back to have a quiet New Year’s Eve in France,” said Ms. Letessier, who works at an A.I. start-up.
Laurence Duhamel and her mother, Roseline Edouard, had just fulfilled a lifelong dream by visiting London and needed to get back to Paris for a medical appointment and New Year’s Eve plans on Wednesday.
They found out about the disruption when they arrived at the station, Ms. Duhamel said. She said that she and her mother had booked flights to Geneva, where they would spend the night before taking a train to Paris in the morning. In all, she expected the disruption would cost about 800 euros (about $940).
“We have that money,” Ms. Duhamel said. “But we just didn’t want to spend it like this.”
Eurostar said that it would cover some expenses for customers stranded as a result of the disruption, including hotel accommodation up to 150 British pounds or €170 (about $200) per nightly room. It also said that it would reimburse taxi charges of up to £50 or €60 (about $67) per journey and daily food and drink expenses of up to £35 or €40 (about $47) per person.
Paris’s Gare du Nord station was also crowded with travelers trying to make alternate arrangements.
Charles Gobert, a Canadian who had plans to travel to London from Paris, said that the train he had boarded that morning turned around after reaching Lille in northern France. “We can’t even take a train tomorrow because all the trains are full,” said Mr. Gobert, 69. “It’s a big disappointment.”
Eurostar has had several severe major disruptions over the years. In June, Eurostar trains were severely delayed after cables were stolen near Lille, France, and two people were killed by trains in separate incidents near Lille and Arras, both in northern France, the company said. Strikes have also caused disruptions and delays, including in 2023 just days before Christmas. There have also been instances when trains have been delayed after hitting wild boars on the tracks.
Jenny Gross is a reporter for The Times covering breaking news and other topics.
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