30 more trains cancelled by Eurostar, train chaos continues in France

Wednesday, December 11, 2019

There is no clarity in when the nationwide strikes in France will end and extreme   travel disruption to, from and within France has entered its seventh day.

More than 30 trains have been cancelled by Eurostar on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday between 11-13 December.

Between London St Pancras and Paris one can find the vast majority and  some services to Brussels and back are also axed.

Around 20,000 travellers will be affected by the cancellations and in total nearly 100,000 Eurostar passengers must have faced disruption so far this month.

According to the cross-Channel train operator said that the strike action will impact their ability to deliver the usual timetable as we expect disruption to signalling along all routes.

Until December 13, as a result they will now run a reduced timetable.

A full refund or re-book can be claimed by passengers whose trains are cancelled on another Eurostar service up to 60 days from  the date of journey.

Those travellers who booked hotels or other arrangements independently of their rail tickets will not be able to claim a refund nor request a postponement from the providers.

Eurostar  mentioned that there will be major disruption to Metro and RER services in Paris and connecting trains to all destinations within France.

Until Friday morning almost all Paris Metro lines will be closed. On Wednesday at least three-quarters of long-distance domestic trains in France are expected to be cancelled.

The Foreign Office has warned of significant industrial action is continuing across France. This is primarily affecting transport and public services, with ongoing cancellations and severe delays to train, Metro, bus and tram services.

On 5 December the strikes began  in protest against planned pension reforms – even though the prime minister, Edourad Philippe will not spell out detailed proposals until Wednesday.

Union members fear that the new proposals will involve raising the retirement age from the usual 62 years, and  further reduce pensions.

« Back to Page

• Delay in app for EU border checks impacts travel

• Eurostar surges to new heights with exceptional growth in 2023, targets 30 million passengers by 2030

• Eurostar to get a competitor finally after three decades

• Eurostar transformation: New joint uniform accessories bring modern flair

• How Europe tackles holiday season in rail and air transportation?