Eurostar passengers travelling from London to Paris on Friday were asked to postpone trips if possible as the rail operator cancelled one in four trains over the weekend after arson attacks caused widespread disruption to France’s high-speed rail network hours before the start of the Olympics.
Most cross-Channel services were leaving St Pancras International station on time but journeys were expected to be prolonged by at least an hour in France.
After initially cancelling two Friday afternoon departures from London, the operator warned that it would have to cancel 25% of its scheduled trains across its European network throughout the weekend.
The disruption, caused by what French authorities described as coordinated and malicious attacks on rail infrastructure between Paris and Lille, came hours before the Games’ opening ceremony, potentially stranding some passengers hoping to attend.
Among those affected was the prime minister. Keir Starmer was due to take the cross-Channel train to attend the opening ceremony but flew to Paris instead, according to a Downing Street spokesperson.
Eurostar said it would attempt to ensure passengers could reach their destinations, despite long diversions on to slower tracks. The rail operator said in a statement: “Due to coordinated 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. Eurostar expects this situation will last until Monday morning. Today, Eurostar will cancel 25% of its trains. It will also be the case on Saturday 27 and Sunday 28.
“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. We encourage our customers to postpone their trip if possible.”
Passengers would be able to cancel or get a refund or change their journey free of charge, Eurostar said.
The disruption has left some passengers anxious about their chances of making the opening ceremony. Hadassa Goncalves, 24, who was due to travel via London from São Paulo, Brazil, told the PA news agency that her train would now not reach Paris Gare du Nord until nearly 5pm, adding: “We want to see the opening ceremony. This is bad for us. We don’t have tickets but we want to see the fireworks.”
Another Eurostar passenger, Kate Fisher, 37, from Louisiana, US, who was travelling to Paris with five friends to watch the Games, told PA: “We knew this is absolutely the worst time to go to Paris because of the Olympics so we’re prepared for it to take longer. When I saw the delay on the departure board, I was like: ‘whatever, as long as we’re there.’”
Most of Team GB’s athletes due in Paris for the opening ceremony had already arrived by Eurostar. The British Olympic Association said that only two athletes were scheduled to travel on Friday and had arrived with only minor delays.
The French state-owned railway company SNCF has also advised passengers to postpone journeys where possible.
Eurotunnel’s Le Shuttle service is unaffected.