It was supposed to take two hours to get there, but a broken-down Eurostar train in Northern France has forced its evacuation, delaying the trip by more than nine hours. People claimed that for four hours, they were stranded on board without air conditioning or functional restrooms until rescue teams showed up to distribute water and assist them in getting off the carriages.
After being picked up from the rails just outside Calais, passengers are currently in London on a replacement train. A full refund has been issued to the impacted consumers by Eurostar, who have expressed regret.
A rescue train was “promptly dispatched” to pick up passengers after the train came to a halt due to a power outage, according to the statement.
While waiting for the replacement services, additional stranded passengers were treated to an impromptu trackside concert by members of the UK band Stornoway.
The train was scheduled to reach London St Pancras International at 9:57 BST, having departed Brussels at 08:52 local time (07:52 BST). However, Eurostar confirmed in a statement that the train had no electricity on board due to a power outage between Lille and Calais.
“Multiple passengers” were suffering on the sweltering train, according to James Grieson. According to Eurostar, the doors were opened to facilitate airflow.
Images from the incident showed rescuers in high-vis jackets, one of whom was holding an armful of bottled water, and dozens of people standing outside the stopped train. A replacement train arrived around 16:45 local time.
“Passengers have each been given a KitKat, for which we are of course grateful, but still no info about what’s happened or when we’ll be moving,” they said.
During the wait, the band said that people had begun “raiding the cafe car” and that one person had been taken away on a stretcher. The “complex transfer operation” to the new train was “taking longer than anticipated,” according to Eurostar, which also thanked passengers for their cooperation and patience. Passengers reported that the replacement train began to move at around 19:30 (18:30 BST).
According to Eurostar, the train reached London fifty minutes later, at 19:20 BST (20:20 CET), extending the total travel duration to over eleven hours. Customers have been offered a compensation package by the rail operator, which includes a voucher worth three times the ticket price or a complete cash refund.
“The situation was extremely difficult for our travellers, and once again we extend our sincere apologies for the inconvenience caused,” it said in a statement.
“The incident will be fully investigated by Eurostar,” it added.