Eurostar Channel services restarting on Sunday as flooding is cleared

Eurostar announced that operations through the Channel tunnel would recommence on Sunday, though cautionary advisories regarding potential further pauses and overcrowding at stations have been noted.

The flooding that occurred was described as "unprecedented" but was successfully contained on Saturday. As a result, one of the affected tunnels - located under the Thames near Ebbsfleet (not under the actual Channel) - became usable again.

Eurotunnel issued a warning that there may be additional disturbances due to speed restrictions and lack of clarity regarding the second tunnel.

The Southeastern train system was also affected by the flooding, causing delays and cancellations on some other local routes on Sunday, as a result of the lack of personnel and inclement weather.

Eurostar passengers were stranded in both London and mainland Europe last Saturday.

Eurostar officials have announced that the flooding issue in the Thames tunnels has been resolved with the help of Network Rail High Speed. This means that at least one of the tunnels is now functional, and a full service can commence without any hindrance.

In the morning, speed limits will be enforced which could cause delays and the stations are anticipated to be quite crowded.

Regrettably, this exceptional incident resulted in significant disturbance for customers on the present day, Saturday. Customers are advised to refer to the Eurostar website to obtain additional details regarding their trip and possible reimbursement.

According to a representative from HS1, the company responsible for operating the train route connecting London and the Channel tunnel, the issue of flooding in the Thames Tunnel is currently being resolved by Network Rail High Speed. As a result, the HS1 line is expected to be up and running by tomorrow morning.

We recognize that passengers have been quite frustrated and we express our apology for the trouble this has caused, especially during such a crucial time of the year.

The issue started on Friday evening when tunnels close to Ebbsfleet International in Kent became flooded, causing a complete halt to all high-speed train services.

According to a water company, the problem was thought to be the result of a burst pipe that supplies water to the fire safety system in the tunnel. A video captured in the tunnel depicted a large amount of water pouring out of a pipe and covering the train tracks.

According to Thames Water, they think that the flood was a result of a "fire control system" and not due to any of their pipes.

Last Saturday afternoon, the engineers who were operating the tunnel expressed that the amount of water that was present was beyond what they had ever experienced before.

The spokesperson from the Met Office informed the PA news agency that the issue was not likely to be a result of adverse weather conditions due to the lack of heavy rainfall in the region, both overnight and elsewhere.

Furthermore, there was significant disturbance to the Thameslink trains in London and throughout the south-east region because of an inadequacy in train staff. The service provider stated that this issue would persist until Sunday.

The organization in charge of weather forecasts, the Met Office, has given an alert that strong winds may cause problems for people travelling within the country over the weekend. They have also released a cautionary statement regarding possible heavy rainfall and snowfall expected in various areas of Scotland.