Flooding in a railway tunnel near London forced the cancellation of more than a dozen trains linking Britain with the European mainland early on Saturday (December 30), international rail operator Eurostar said.
"Eurostar services to and from London are being cancelled and there are severe delays to services due to infrastructure issues caused by flooding in one of the Thames tunnels located between St Pancras International and Ebbsfleet", the company said.
Video filmed by a train company on Friday (December 29) showed floodwaters pouring into the Thames Tunnel near Ebbsfleet, causing severe disruption to national and international services.
SouthEastern railways posted on social media that no high-speed rail services would run on Saturday due to the flooding, and Eurostar passengers faced delays as the flooding in Ebbsfleet is used by Eurostar trains.
The cancellations, which so far concern at least 14 trips between London and Paris, Amsterdam or Brussels, are the second blow for Eurostar customers during this year's holiday season. On Dec. 21, a French surprise strike action thwarted Christmas travel plans for thousands.
It was not immediately clear when rail traffic would be able to resume.
