Eurostar: One in four trains cancelled after arson attacks

The mother and father of Team GB rugby player Ellie Boatman experienced some issues with waiting at St Pancras International.

One fourth of all Eurostar trains will not be running on Friday and during the weekend due to fires being set that caused chaos before the start of the Olympics in France.

The train company, that operates trains between different countries from London St Pancras, advised customers to try to avoid traveling and cancel their trips if they can.

The cancellations of high-speed rail lines across France were attributed to intentional and organized acts of disruption by the country's transport minister.

Sir Keir Starmer had to modify his travel arrangements due to the disturbance, while the UK Prime Minister opted to fly to Paris instead.

The train system in France was purposely damaged in three planned fire attacks on Friday. This has caused disruptions to travel between the UK, Belgium, and various regions in the north, east, and west of France.

SNCF, a French train company, reported that a fourth attempt to disrupt a train line going towards the south was stopped.

The rail company predicts that around 800,000 passengers will experience delays and cancellations throughout the entire weekend.

The disturbance is happening at the same time as individuals are journeying to witness the start of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, and occurs as millions of people are beginning their summer vacations.

Two people waiting in line for the Eurostar at St Pancras station in London on Friday were the parents of Ellie Boatman, a rugby sevens star for Team GB. They were willing to wait for as long as it took to board the train.

When questioned if the postponements could dampen their enthusiasm, they both responded with a firm "no."

"We'll need to pour ourselves another glass of prosecco," they suggested.

Other travelers waiting a long time at St Pancras also displayed positive attitudes.

Kate Fisher, who is 37 years old, had planned a trip with five friends to go from London to Paris to watch the games.

She mentioned that we were aware that going to Paris during the Olympics would be the most inconvenient time, so we are expecting our journey to take longer than usual.

"When I noticed the wait time on the departure display, I thought to myself, 'no big deal, as long as we arrive at our destination'," she remarked.

A different traveler, Kate Heath, who is 54 years old, mentioned that she had considered taking a plane to Paris instead, but could not find a flight that would get her there in time for the start of the ceremony.

"We'll handle it calmly and without trouble," she stated confidently.

Even with all the chaos, a few Eurostar trains from London did make it to Paris, although passengers reported significant delays of around three hours.

Ian Ralph, who is 48 years old, expressed to the PA news agency that he was filled with feelings of "panic" and "stress" upon discovering that his train to Paris had been cancelled on Friday. This cancellation came at a particularly inconvenient time as his family had tickets to attend Olympics events, such as the women's football on Sunday and beach volleyball on Monday.

Talking at St Pancras station, the expert from Southampton mentioned that he was able to secure seats for himself and his family on a train departing at 6pm, which was approximately three hours after his initial reservation.

Sir Keir Starmer altered his itinerary and opted for a flight to Paris because of the issues on the Eurostar network.

He is expected to go to a special event for leaders, hosted by French President Emmanuel Macron, before moving on to the Olympic opening ceremony near the River Seine.

The main person in charge of business for Eurostar, François Le Doze, mentioned that most people wanting to travel from London to Paris on Friday will still be able to, but they might experience delays of approximately 90 minutes.

Trains in France will need to operate at a reduced speed in some areas due to an attack that caused damage to the railway network, according to his statement.

Additional employees at St Pancras International have contributed to maintaining a peaceful atmosphere in London, and there is a prevailing sense of anticipation, he explained.

Eurostar announced that they anticipate the delays to continue until Monday morning and advised customers to reschedule their travel if they can.

The company stated that passengers impacted by this issue can opt to cancel or receive a refund for their tickets, or make changes to their travel plans at no extra cost.

A company representative stated that because of planned malicious activities in France impacting the fast train route from Paris to Lille, all high-speed trains traveling to and from Paris are being rerouted.

The UK Department for Transport stated that it is staying connected with Eurostar and French authorities regarding the ongoing issues.

It is recommended that anyone thinking of traveling should check in advance and follow the guidance from the Foreign Office and Eurostar.

Most of the athletes from Team GB have been traveling to the Games using the Eurostar train. The British Olympic Association has confirmed that only two athletes were expected to arrive on Friday and had experienced only slight delays.

SNCF stated that the issue is expected to continue for the entire weekend, but maintenance teams are already present at the location conducting inspections and starting the repair process.

A representative from Eurotunnel Le Shuttle, a company that moves cars from Folkestone to Calais in northern France, stated that their operations were not disrupted by the event.