Flooding forces Eurostar to scrap cross-channel journeys

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On Saturday, a lot of people who were planning to travel via Eurostar were greatly inconvenienced due to the company cancelling all train services that connect the UK to mainland Europe, which was caused by flooding.

The train company that goes through the Chanel stated that they have cancelled trips from London to Paris, Brussels, and Amsterdam. This decision was made because two tunnels that run under the Thames River were flooded on the quick line that connects London and the southern coast of England.

On Saturday, Eurostar issued an apology to its passengers and assured them that they were keeping a close eye on the situation while Network Rail, who is responsible for the infrastructure, was working diligently to repair the damage.

People travelling across the Channel expressed their frustration on social media about how their New Year's Eve festivities were ruined due to the instability. A few individuals who were left stranded resorted to staying in hotels for the night as a last resort.

The train company called Southeastern, which runs trains within the UK, has also stopped its speedy trains that go through the aforementioned tunnels.

According to a post on social media platform X, Steve White - who is the managing director of Southeastern - mentioned that a massive attempt is in progress to determine where the water is coming from and boost the capacity to drain it.

White uploaded some images, which exhibited water flowing into a particular tunnel and concealing the tracks beneath it.

HS1 is a privately owned company that has been granted permission to manage and supervise the railway tracks that run from London to the Channel Tunnel. Recently, the company mentioned that the flooding that took place in the tunnels was unlike anything they had ever seen before.

Eurostar commuters faced delays just before Christmas due to a strike by French staff causing disturbance to their services on December 21.

The newest chaos in travel added to an already unpleasant holiday season for the British railway system. A combination of construction projects and inclement weather caused delays and problems for multiple companies.

UK train travellers going out on New Year's Eve are advised to confirm with their train service provider before embarking on their journey as there might be some engineering duties, possible weather disturbances and shortage of staff.