Hundreds lefts stranded after suspension of high-speed train service for three hours on Friday afternoon

This article is more than 2 years old

This article is more than 2 years old

Eurostar services between London and mainland Europe were severely disrupted on Friday following signalling problems in the Channel tunnel, leaving hundreds of passengers stranded.

The high-speed train service was suspended for about three hours on Friday afternoon due to a signalling fault at the Eurotunnel Folkestone terminal, causing 10 cancellations and major delays between London, Paris, Lille and Brussels.

Large crowds formed at London St Pancras International and the Gare du Nord in Paris while customers waited for information about train services.

On Friday night Eurostar said normal service had resumed, and all customers with tickets for cancelled trains would be rebooked to travel on Saturday and given overnight hotel accommodation if required.

“We would like to apologise for the delays and cancellations yesterday due to a signalling failure in the Eurotunnel. We can confirm that trains are running normally today. If you were due to travel yesterday it will be possible to change your tickets over the next two months,” Eurostar said on its website.

kirsty malcolm (@kirstymalcolm) Total chaos @Eurostar in #london - no being issued over tannoy and no way to know if travellers will get on trains this evening #eurostar pic.twitter.com/6cxMtLVwnh

Fares_Fair (@Fares_Fair) @BBCBreaking @eurostar chaos at St. Pancras due to no trains running. Queues extend as far as the eye can see from the departure area. pic.twitter.com/VQsSo4I7mc

Passengers travelling in the tunnel when the fault occurred were stuck on board trains for hours as technicians worked to fix the signalling issue, with one service eventually sent back to Calais.

Eurostar said there was capacity on their Saturday train services for all affected passengers to travel, albeit a day late.

The train company tweeted: “Update: Eurostar trains will be running with severe delays this evening following an earlier signalling issue in the Eurotunnel. Apologies.”

Eurostar (@Eurostar) UPDATE: Eurostar trains will be running with severe delays this evening following an earlier signalling issue in the Eurotunnel. Apologies.