Eurostar chaos: Passengers stranded for nine hours due to faulty cable

PA

A faulty overhead power cable has caused travel chaos for thousands of Eurostar passengers, including model Laura Bailey.

Travellers were left stranded for up to nine hours after an electrical cable at the French side of the Eurotunnel caused chaos during Paris Fashion Week.

Models tweeted their frustration, with Laura Bailey writing: "Love affair with Eurostar officially over. Love affair with Paris will never die."

According to the Metro, designer Henry Holland was particularly succinct, writing simply: "Eurostar disaster".

Eurostar had to cancel four trains, and explained a sagging overhead cable owned by energy giant EDF meant that trains had to be switched from high speed lines to slower ones. The company said it was "very sorry for any inconvenience", according to the BBC.

One passenger, Kandy Woodfield, said spending seven hours on a train after leaving London was "hellish", adding: "We have not been kept informed.

"They eventually gave us free water but that is it. The bar has made an absolute killing. I think it is terrible. There are elderly people and young children on board."

Some people had to sleep on another train after arriving at Gare du Nord, where two TVGs had been made available as makeshift accommodation.

Mike Adams, 43, who was on his way to a skiing holiday in the Alps told the Daily Mail: "We didn't get in to Paris until 1.30am and so were put on train to sleep.

"There were a lot of others in the same position as us – we were completely stranded without hotel rooms.

"The French put on heated trains, giving us blankets and some packed dinners. We didn't sleep much, but others seemed to get their heads down. When staff arrived to clean the trains at around 5am we all had to get off."

A Eurostar spokeswoman told the Daily Mail: "There was quite a severe impact on train services and we were doing everything we could to keep the train moving but it wasn't something that was in our control.

"Our trains do carry supplies for this kind of thing so they would have been given some sort of refreshment but it wasn't going to be the most comfortable journey. We are very sorry for any inconvenience caused."


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