Eurostar has announced the cancellation of its services to and from London this Saturday.
Eurostar, the company which operates trains linking the United Kingdom to continental Europe via the Eurotunnel, announced the cancellation of its services to and from London this Saturday due to the closure of a track on its high-speed line.
The problem appeared near Ebbsfleet International Station (east of London), in a tunnel under the River Thames which was flooded following the rain and wind storm that the United Kingdom is experiencing these days -this.
So far, at least 14 services to Paris, Brussels and Amsterdam have been suspended, and although Eurostar has said it “worked hard” to reestablish the connection, he warned there would be long delays.
Southeastern Railways, which uses the same tracks to connect London to the south-east of England, has already warned that“no high speed trains are expected today at St Pancras and Ashford International (near the Eurotunnel)” and that she strives to “fixing tunnel flooding at Ebbsfleet International”.
Eurostar offers passengers three options: postpone their train to another day, cancel their reservation and request a voucher valid for 12 months, or cancel their trip and get a refund.
Thousands of passengers are crowded into London’s St Pancras station, where Eurostar trains depart and arrive, on a day when many families had planned to travel to spend New Year’s Eve in another country.
This is the second disruption to Eurostar services in less than ten days, after the company’s workers in France declared a “last minute strike” surprise on December 21.
The Met Office, Britain’s weather service, has issued a yellow alert for wind, rain and snow across most of the UK.
Floods in Germany
In Germany, there are concerns about water levels in some rivers, and they have continued to rise in parts of the state of Lower Saxony. This week’s floods have led to the evacuation of dozens or hundreds of people in parts of the north and center of the country.
The Pretziener Dam, built in the 1870s on a branch of the Elbe to combat flooding and renovated in 2010, was opened for the first time since large-scale floods in 2013.
In Meppen, the situation remains tense. Here the river Haze and the Ems join. Firefighters and rescue workers work day and night, pumping out water and reinforcing dikes.
“I don’t think this is the last time we see abundant water, said a resident. There will definitely be a next time. That’s why I think the residents of the neighborhood feel safer (if the dikes are reinforced).”
Forecasters expect further rain over the weekend in several flooded areas of Germany, but the precipitation will not be as heavy.