Thousands of passengers travelling from London to Paris face severe disruption on the day of the Olympic Games opening ceremony after a suspected co-ordinated attack on the French railway network.
Overnight, signals along railway tracks in northern France were set on fire and cables were cut and set alight, sources close to the investigation said.
The attacks on France’s transport system are expected to affect 250,000 passengers on Friday, rising to 800,000 by the end of the weekend.
A spokesman for Eurostar said: “Due to co-ordinated acts of malice in France, affecting the high-speed line between Paris and Lille, all high-speed trains going to and coming from Paris are being diverted via the classic line today [Friday 26 July].
“This extends the journey time by around an hour and a half. Several trains have been cancelled.”
“Eurostar expects this situation will last until Monday morning. Today, Eurostar will cancel 25 per cent of its trains. It will also be the case on Saturday 27 and Sunday 28,” they added. It is expected that these cancellations could affect more than 8,000 passengers travelling from London to Paris.
“Eurostar’s teams are fully mobilised in stations, in the call centres, and onboard to ensure that all passengers are informed and can reach their destination.”
Here is everything you need to know if you are planning on travelling to Paris this weekend.
How many Eurostar services have been disrupted?
There was due to be a record 18 services from London St Pancras International to Paris Gare du Nord on Friday, but all will be affected by the travel disruption. Services that are still running are currently showing a delay of an hour or more on the company’s website. One in four Eurostar services from London to Paris will be cancelled on Friday 26, Saturday 27 and Sunday 28 July.
Are Eurostar services definitely running?
Yes. The first train from Paris Gare du Nord arrived at St Pancras International 82 minutes behind schedule. The delay is because trains are being routed along the “classic” line, as the high-speed TGV Nord line is shut. Many other high-speed lines, including those linking Paris with Brussels, Amsterdam and the rest of northern France, are also using the old railway lines.
How is Eurostar contacting affected passengers?
Passengers will be contacted by email or SMS. Eurostar says: “We ask all travellers who can to postpone their trip and not to go to the station.”
My train has been cancelled, what are my options?
Eurostar passengers on a cancelled service can request a refund or switch trains, but beware that very few services have availability in the next 48 hours.
Can I book a flight instead?
Not unless you move very fast. All three Paris airports (Charles de Gaulle, Orly and Beauvais) will be closed from 6.30pm on Friday afternoon as a security precaution ahead of the opening ceremony – the last plane to land is expected to be the Edinburgh to Charles de Gaulle service, touching down at 5.10pm.
After this, an area of northern France approximately the size of Belgium will be closed for five hours to all flights, barring emergency and official government services. Normally the three Paris airports would handle as many as 350,000 passengers on a peak Friday summer day.
What about French domestic trains?
France’s national rail operator, SNCF, has advised passengers to postpone their trips and stay away from railway stations.
In Paris’s main stations of Montparnasse, Gare du Nord and Gare de l’Est, operations were heavily disrupted and stations were extremely busy on Friday morning after trains were delayed or cancelled.
Is LeShuttle still operating?
LeShuttle, the service that carries both cars and foot passengers, is operating as usual. The service runs from Folkestone in Kent to Calais. There are still tickets available throughout the weekend.
Are ferry services still operating?
Cross-Channel ferry services have not been disrupted by the rail travel chaos in France.
The travel chaos has ruined my plans – can I claim anything back on insurance?
Some travel insurance policies may have a trip disruption extension, but you should check the terms and conditions of your policy extension and what type of disruption it covers.
The best way to ensure you are covered is to call or email your insurance provider to ask for it to be added on.
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