Eurostar trains were cancelled on Thursday afternoon due to an unexpected walkout. The strike is now over.
ADVERTISEMENTA last minute strike by French Eurotunnel staff ruined Christmas travel plans for Brits on Thursday.
All Eurostar trains to and from London were cancelled from 10:30am onwards on 21 December, leaving thousands of travellers stranded.
The strike ended on Thursday evening and the Channel Tunnel was able to reopen. Trains are now running as normal.
The surprise walkout was staged over bonus pay and working conditions. It saw some trains having to return to Paris. LeShuttle services carrying cars and trucks to the tunnel were also suspended in Calais and Folkestone.
On the same day, Storm Pia caused travel chaos in northern England and Scotland, with powerful gusts disrupting trains, ferries and roads. The storm also impacted travel in the Netherlands and Germany.
Eurostar strike 'ruined Christmas' for passengers on Thursday
On Thursday afternoon, some Eurostar passengers reported being stuck outside the Channel Tunnel after beginning their journeys, while others had their trains rerouted back to Paris.
One frustrated passenger tweeted, “Eurostar you’ve just ruined my Christmas, it should have been my first Christmas with my girlfriend, you have ruined everything!”
Another said, “Families devastated here at London St. Pancrass International. I'm not using Eurostar ever again.”
Eurostar trains have now resumed
Industrial action by Eurotunnel staff prevented Eurostar services from proceeding through the Channel Tunnel throughout Thursday afternoon and evening. Trains held en route were cancelled and returned to their starting point. More than 20 trains were cancelled.
On Thursday evening, Eurostar announced that the strike had ended. It will return to a normal timetable on Friday 22 December, with additional trains to make up for those that were cancelled yesterday.
All customers who faced disruption yesterday will be refunded or booked on a new train free of charge.
"To help support our customers who could not travel because of the Eurotunnel strike, Eurostar will run six extra trains between Paris and London: 2 on Friday 22 Dec, 2 on Saturday 23 Dec, and 2 on Sunday," Eurostar said in its latest statement.
A normal timetable is now running out of London, Paris and Brussels.
Eurotunnel unions indicated that they would only return to work if negotiations on Thursday were satisfactory. Since services are now operational, it appears that this was the case.
