Eurostar services are set to restart today as passengers were told to expect yet more delays and jam-packed stations.
Thousands of people hoping to see in the new year have been left stuck both in the UK and in Europe after a huge flood in a tunnel cancelled all trains in and out of London
The "unprecedented" flooding was brought under control on Saturday, according to Eurostar - meaning "at least one tunnel can now be used".
But continued speed restrictions and uncertainty surrounding the second tunnel means further disruption is possible, the operator has warned, with customers told to expect slower trains.
London St Pancras was busy on Sunday morning as disruption continued (Ian Vogler / Daily Mirror)Delays and cancellations are also expected on some domestic routes on Sunday, thanks to staff shortages and bad weather. At a thronging London St Pancras International on Saturday, emotional travellers sat on suitcases as people were heard frantically trying to find alternative routes to their destinations.
One man, thought to be a taxi driver, was also seen wandering around the station clutching an iPad which said "taxi to Paris". Brits have also been left stranded in mainland Europe, some with young children.
Many said the disruption had ruined their New Year's Eve plans, while some people took to social media to report issues with the app used to rebook tickets. One man said he was "still in France with two kids under 6" after their train had been cancelled yesterday and claimed their travel costs had now reached £1,000 as a result of the disruption, with the app not allowing them to rebook for free.
Queen honoured in London New Year's fireworks before turning into King Charles
Eurostar said 'at least one tunnel can now be used' after the rail tunnel outside of London flooded (Southeastern / ESN/AFP via Getty)
Emilio Fernandez, 22, is with his parents Catherine and Manuel Fernandez, 58 and 59, his sister Luna, 31, and four-year-old nephew Amani. He said: "We were supposed to leave late (on Saturday) but it was cancelled in the afternoon. We were very worried because first it's important to come back to our country to celebrate New Year's Eve there, so we are very worried still because we are not sure that we will be able to leave."
His mother said: "It's very expensive to stay in London, even for a few days."
Emilio Fernandez added: "We are hoping to get seats for us today because we heard that they opened new trains today and that other people would probably not come since they told us the closest trains were in three days.
"I think a lot of people don't come today, so we are hoping to get on a train ... we hope we have a chance."
Two newlyweds visiting from New York meanwhile said their dream of seeing in the new year at Disneyland Paris was in tatters. Nicole Carrera, 29, and her husband Christopher, 31, had to rebook for a 2.30pm outbound train on Sunday. Ms Carrera, who works for cosmetics firm L'Oreal, told the PA news agency: "We've been in London since Wednesday and we wanted to leave today because we were actually supposed to go to Disney Paris tomorrow for New Year's Eve. So obviously those plans are ruined because now we won't get into Paris tomorrow until about 6pm."
Eurostar disruption has continued on New Years Eve (Ian Vogler / Daily Mirror)Christina David, 25, and Georgina Benyamin, 26, from Sydney, have been travelling in Europe for about three weeks and had planned their final stop in Paris, where they hoped to spend New Year's Eve and New Year's Day before flying home on January 7. Ms David shared that the pair had already paid for an "expensive hotel with an Eiffel Tower view", while Ms Benyamin added that she felt like she was "going to cry" after their plans to watch "Paris light up" on New Years Eve appeared ruined.
Services started running again on Sunday morning, though trains are expected to be slower than usual and stations very busy. In a statement, Eurostar said: "Flooding in the Thames tunnels has been brought under control by Network Rail High Speed, meaning at least one tunnel can now be used and a full service can operate. There will be some speed restrictions in place in the morning which may lead to delays and stations are expected to be very busy. Unfortunately, this unprecedented event has caused major disruption to customers today. Customers are encouraged to visit the Eurostar website for more information on their journey and compensation entitlement."
Eurostar said stations are 'expected to be very busy' as photographs from St Pancras showed long queues (Ian Vogler / Daily Mirror)A spokesperson for HS1, which runs the route between London and the Channel Tunnel, said: "Flooding in the Thames Tunnel is being resolved by Network Rail High Speed and the HS1 line will be operational in the morning. We understand how frustrating this has been for passengers and apologise for the inconvenience caused at such an important time of the year."
The company has not yet revealed what caused the leak. The problem began on Friday night when water filled tunnels near Ebbsfleet International in Kent, stopping all high speed services. Thames Water said it believed the flood was caused by a "fire control system and not a Thames Water pipe", while footage shot in the tunnel showed water gushing from a pipe and submerging the tracks. Water tankers have now been used to empty the flooded tunnel.
Some railway tunnels, including the Channel Tunnel, have water systems installed as a fire safety measure. On Saturday afternoon, engineers working in the tunnel said water levels were reducing, but said the volume of water was "unprecedented". A Met Office spokesperson told the PA news agency the problem was unlikely to have been caused by bad weather because there had been "no heavy rain overnight or in the area".
Ebbsfleet International - located on the other side of the flooded tunnel from London - used to be served by Eurostar, but no international trains have stopped there since the start of the coronavirus pandemic in March 2020. The flooding has disrupted Southeastern Railway trains, which will run a reduced service between Ashford and St Pancras International.
There has also been major disruption to Thameslink services through London and across the South East due to "a shortage of train crew" which will continue into Sunday, the operator said. The Met Office has warned there could be disruption to domestic journeys this weekend, as windy conditions sweep across the UK. A warning for rain and snow has been issued for much of Scotland.
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