The Eurostar company, which operates the trains that link the United Kingdom with continental Europe through the Eurotunnel, announced this Saturday the cancellation of its services today to and from London due to the closure of a track on its high-speed route due to the storm.
"Trains have been canceled today because part of a track has been temporarily closed near London," Eurostar explained through its social networks, where it apologized for the "impact" on travelers and offered a website to find out about the travel status.
The problem has arisen near the Ebsfleet International station (east of London), in a tunnel under the River Thames that has flooded as a result of the rain and wind storm that the United Kingdom is experiencing these days.
So far at least 14 services with Paris, Brussels and Amsterdam have already been suspended, and although Eurostar has said it is "working hard" to reestablish the connection, it has warned that there will be long delays.
The Southeastern Railways company, which operates on those same tracks to link London with the southeast of England, has already warned that "high-speed trains are not expected today at St Pancras and Ashford International (near the Eurotunnel)" and that they are working to "fix flooding in Ebbsfleet International tunnels".
Eurostar offers travelers three possibilities: change their train to another day, cancel the reservation and request a voucher that will be valid for 12 months or cancel the trip and obtain a refund.
Thousands of passengers are involved in scenes of chaos at London's St. Pancras station, where Eurostar trains leave and arrive, on a day when many families had planned to travel to spend New Year's Eve in another country.
This is the second interruption of Eurostar services in less than ten days, after the company's workers in France unexpectedly declared a "last-minute strike" on December 21.
The Met Office, the British meteorological institute, has issued a yellow alert for wind, rain and snow in most of the United Kingdom.
