Eurostar cancels all trains from London to Paris, Brussels and Amsterdam: Here's what happened

Travellers are pictured at St. Pancras station in London on December 30, 2025, as Eurostar train service between Britain and continental Europe is halted. Eurostar advised passengers to postpone their journeys on December 30 to a later date, citing "major disruption" including severe delays and cancellations. (Photo by CARLOS JASSO / AFP)

Cross-Channel rail travel was thrown into chaos after Eurostar cancelled all train services departing London for Paris, Brussels and Amsterdam following a power outage inside the Channel Tunnel.

The disruption began earlier in the day and forced Eurostar to halt services until further notice. At London’s St Pancras station, passengers were advised by staff not to travel and to rebook their journeys for another date. Several departures were cancelled outright, while others faced long delays or were rescheduled.

The power failure also affected Eurotunnel Le Shuttle, which suspended vehicle-carrying train services between Folkestone in the UK and Calais in France. The operator cited a “power supply issue” and warned of extended delays.

UK rail authorities said major disruption is expected to continue through the end of the day. Eurostar urged passengers not to come to stations unless they already have tickets and asked them to rely on official live updates for the latest information. Customers have been offered flexible options, including free changes to travel dates, full refunds or e-vouchers.

On the UK side, Le Shuttle reported delays of about three and a half hours at its Folkestone terminal. In France, passengers at Calais were facing waits of around three hours.

Travellers stranded at Calais described long queues and limited communication. Le Shuttle said technical teams are working to fix the power problem but has not provided a clear timeline for when services will fully resume.

The outage has left thousands of passengers stuck on both sides of the Channel and has become one of the most serious disruptions to cross-Channel rail travel in recent months.