Further Eurostar cancellations hold up Paris 2024 passengers

Eurostar travelers trying to make it to the opening of the Paris Olympics have still been dealing with problems because a fire attack in France led to the cancellation of trains.

Passengers planning to travel from London to Paris on Friday via Eurostar were advised to consider delaying their journey if they could. This recommendation came after the railway company had to cancel 25% of their trains over the weekend due to arson attacks causing major disruptions to France's high-speed rail system just before the Olympics began.

This past Saturday, Eurostar had to cancel four out of the 15 trains that were supposed to go from London to Paris. This affected over 3,000 passengers and caused delays. Eurostar advised those affected to delay their travel plans if they could. By Saturday, all seats for the services were already taken.

Bus ticket prices to Paris from London have increased dramatically, with some seats selling for as high as £200. All Flixbus and National Express buses for Saturday are fully booked. The next available coach will depart from London at 2am on Sunday, but passengers will have to pay £198 for a seat on the Flixbus service.

Over the weekend, travelers at St Pancras station were frantically seeking different tickets to Paris. A concerned mother from Paris shared that the 4.31pm train on Friday was cancelled, leaving her 12-year-old daughter waiting alone in a cafe. Previous plans to pick her up on Saturday morning had fallen through.

Zissia Patel, a 46-year-old university administrator, mentioned she is currently in London visiting family. She expressed her concern about her 12-year-old daughter being alone in a café in Paris and expressed her desire to be by her side.

She mentioned that she was informed she couldn't reschedule her train online and had to go to St Pancras instead. "I'm just trying to stay calm. My child is by themselves in a cafe," she explained.

Olivia Atwell was crying while she stood behind Patel in the long Eurostar line. The 26-year-old woman from Australia explained that she hadn't slept since boarding a 5.40 am flight from Sydney to London on Friday to support her cousin Amy in the women's basketball competition at the Olympics. Atwell, who works as an accountant in Sydney, shared, "I haven't slept at all. If I don't catch a train, I'll have to catch a flight to Paris."

People also talked about their travel problems on social media. Jeremy Bourton posted on X that he might lose around £4,000 because his Eurostar train got cancelled. He tagged the Eurostar account and asked if they would reimburse him for his accommodation and Olympic event tickets, which altogether cost around £3,500/£4,000.

Comedian Matt Green expressed excitement about attending the Olympics for years and quickly booked Eurostar tickets from London to Paris when it was revealed that the French capital would be hosting the 2024 games.

He posted on social media that his two train rides were canceled. "Guess I won't make it to the Olympics," he commented. "Feeling pretty disappointed that something I've been looking forward to for years has suddenly fallen through."

Even though there were problems, travelers were grateful for the Eurostar employees handling the chaotic situation with kindness. Michelle Macleod experienced a delay of five hours. "The plan to take Eurostar to Paris instead of flying to avoid the chaos didn't go as expected," she mentioned. Eventually, she was able to board a later train. She praised the Eurostar staff at St Pancras and on the train for their excellent service despite the challenging situation.