Hundreds of Eurostar passengers were stranded for eight hours overnight in the darkness after a power failure in the Channel Tunnel.
The problem with the overhead power lines at Lille in northern France left 700 passengers on the 18:01 from London to Paris and 600 passengers on the 18:04 from London to Brussels Eurostar trains stranded in darkness for up to nine hours overnight.
The passengers travelling to Paris Gare du Nord arrived at 3:30, while those travelling to Brussels finally arrived at 06:00 after diesel engines were used to tow the trains.
Six other trains were also delayed.
Eurostar staff apologised for the delays and kept passengers and those awaiting their arrival updated throughout the night on Twitter
We would once again like to apologise for the delays tonight and are doing everything we can to get everyone to their destination.
— Eurostar (@Eurostar) November 21, 2014
The company has said that the passengers on the Brussels train are entitled to compensation of double the cost of their tickets plus a free return trip, while those on the Paris train can claim the cost of their ticket plus a free return trip.
This morning, the train company also cancelled the 9019, 9125, and 9136 services today as they work to fix the issue at Lille, with more delays and cancellations likely over the weekend.
