Eurostar cancels London services after shock Eurotunnel strike before Christmas getaway

It is currently 1:16 pm on Thursday, December 21st, 2023.

Eurostar trips between London and other destinations have been called off due to an unforeseen work stoppage by Eurotunnel employees, which has caused a suspension of services through the Channel Tunnel.

Eurostar released a statement that clarifies that all Channel Tunnel crossings have been cancelled since noon due to an impromptu strike by Eurotunnel workers. As a result, Eurostar will not be operating any trains to or from London for an indefinite period.

There is still no news regarding tomorrow's scheduled services. Up to this point, approximately 24 trains have been canceled due to the ongoing situation, which has also impacted the operations of LeShuttle.

According to the Eurostar website, the last train rides for the day from London St Pancras to Paris, scheduled at 7:01pm and 8:01pm, are confirmed to proceed as planned.

The announcement stated that people who are impacted by the situation will be contacted individually to receive information about their travel plans. They will have the option to change their tickets without any additional fees or to get a complete refund. The company is keeping a close eye on the situation and is working hard to make sure their customers are not affected more than necessary.

The big French railway company Getlink is responsible for running and staffing the infrastructure of the channel tunnel. Getlink has informed Reuters via email that a strike request from unions representing French employees working for Eurotunnel has caused a total shutdown of service and has resulted in the closure of the terminals located in both France and the UK.

The business stated that the labor unions had turned down a bonus offer of £867 declared by the executives, and were requesting it to be tripled.

The Eurotunnel website has posted a message informing that all Le Shuttle services have been stopped for a while because of a strike happening in France. The website also says they're sorry for any delay this may cause in your trip. More information will be given soon.

At the most hectic time of the year, Christmas, the ABTA organization issued a warning earlier today. They stated that numerous British individuals are planning to travel for the holiday season due to an abrupt increase in travel this year.

On December 21, 2023, Eurostar tweeted a message on their official account.

News flash: The Eurotunnel workers are participating in an unanticipated strike and, as a result, travel services can't proceed through the Channel Tunnel until at least the middle of the afternoon. Trains that were already on the journey - 9126, 9018, 9023, and 9125 - will go back to where they began and won't run any further.

The Eurostar services are experiencing significant problems at the moment. The well-liked route from Amsterdam to London, which the high-speed operator provides, will be closed for approximately six months in the upcoming year. This is due to the maintenance works taking place at Centraal station in the Dutch capital city.

Today, there was disorderly confusion at Euston station when every train got cancelled as a result of a line issue. The entire stretch is now inaccessible, and buses have been arranged in place of the trains for travel between Northampton to Milton Keynes, and between Milton Keynes and Watford Junction.

Unnamed individuals who were previously using Twitter stormed the social media website to express their annoyance about the disturbance caused by Eurostar.

Someone said that the people on the train didn't receive any updates, and another person said that the staff of Eurotunnel kept them captive. One person went all the way to the tunnel, but was sent back to where they started. They had to sit on the train for many hours with no outcome. This is unacceptable and makes a person feel terrible.

Someone else inquired: "I am already traveling on the train that they are taking back to Paris. Is it possible to change my ticket for tomorrow? Additionally, what sort of compensation will be granted to us?"

In the third quarter of 2023, Getlink earned a revenue of €472.5m. The company has consistently achieved extraordinary results throughout the year.