LONDON (AP) – Hundreds of people’s holiday plans were changed on Saturday after Eurostar canceled train services to and from London after a tunnel under the River Thames flooded.
Thousands of travelers trying to get their hands on across the english channel They were stranded at St Pancras International Station in London and Gare du Nord in Paris. Eurostar, which operates services from London to Paris, Brussels and Amsterdam, said it had canceled all 41 trains scheduled for Saturday due to flooding.
Engineers working in the tunnel said water levels were falling. The amount of water in the tunnel was “unprecedented,” he said.
The UK is experiencing strong wind gusts and heavy rain caused by: Storm Gerrit All through the holidays. More severe weather is expected over the final weekend of the year, causing travel disruption.
Many stranded travelers sat on the floor or on suitcases as they scrambled to find last-minute accommodation or alternative plans. Chris Dillashaw, from San Antonio, Texas, was one of many whose New Year’s Eve plans were ruined by travel disruptions.
“Our whole family is here…We celebrated Christmas in Paris and then were heading to London for New Year’s Eve plans,” he told The Associated Press while waiting at Gare du Nord. Told. “I found out about what happened via email and am very sorry.”
Sydney residents Christina David, 25, and Georgina Benjamin, 26, were left with nowhere to stay after learning their train from London to Paris, the final stop on a multi-week European tour, had been cancelled. Told.
“We paid for an expensive hotel with a view of the Eiffel Tower,” Benjamin said. “Now, we have to book a hotel for the night here. We don’t know where to go. We don’t have a place to stay.”
Eurostar said it “deeply regrets the unforeseen issues affecting our customers and services.”
“We understand that this is an important time for people to return home to the end of the Christmas season and ahead of the New Year,” the company said.
Eurostar services were also disrupted just before Christmas due to a strike by Eurotunnel staff.
Britain’s weather forecaster, the Met Office, said further strong winds and rain were expected to hit London and southern England on Saturday. Wind gusts of up to 50 mph (80 kph) are expected, with the strongest winds likely near coastal areas.
Sylvia Hoy, Associated Press
