Eurostar passengers travelling between France, Belgium, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom faced an unexpectedly difficult Sunday after a series of technical problems slowed train movements through Paris Gare du Nord on 23 November 2025.
According to Eurostar’s live travel-update feed, multiple services arrived late or were held outside the station because earlier trains had lost their paths, creating a knock-on effect just as week-end travellers were returning home. The operator listed at least six separate delay notices for Paris Gare du Nord between 10:00 and 19:00, citing both “operational restrictions” and “earlier trains arriving late”. Services calling at Brussels-Midi, Antwerpen-Centraal and Amsterdam Schiphol were also affected, highlighting how sensitive the high-frequency cross-border network is to even minor incidents.
While Eurostar stressed that safety was never compromised, the incident underlines structural vulnerabilities at Europe’s busiest international rail hub. Unlike London St Pancras, which has four through tracks reserved for high-speed trains, the Paris terminus still relies on stub tracks that require every set to reverse out—a manoeuvre that quickly clogs the throat of the station when anything goes wrong.
![Technical issues at Paris Gare du Nord cause cascading Eurostar delays on 23 November]()
Corporate travel managers told Global Mobility News they were forced to re-book executives onto later trains, and in some cases to switch to short-haul flights at the last minute. “We lost half a day of meetings in Brussels because our 08:55 departure sat outside the tunnel for 40 minutes,” said the mobility lead of a CAC 40 company. Although Eurostar’s compensation rules offer partial refunds after a 60-minute delay, the administrative burden often falls on the employer.
Looking ahead, Eurostar has warned of further pressure on capacity as Belgian rail unions begin a three-day national strike tomorrow (24–26 November). Travellers with time-critical appointments in London, Brussels or Amsterdam should build in extra buffers or consider remote meetings. The operator says it will publish an amended timetable once the scale of the strike’s impact becomes clear.
For multinationals with staff shuttling between Paris and their Benelux offices, the episode is a reminder that rail—while greener than air—cannot be treated as risk-free. Mobility teams should ensure that duty-of-care dashboards incorporate real-time rail data and that travellers know how to trigger contingency budgets when schedules unravel.
According to Eurostar’s live travel-update feed, multiple services arrived late or were held outside the station because earlier trains had lost their paths, creating a knock-on effect just as week-end travellers were returning home. The operator listed at least six separate delay notices for Paris Gare du Nord between 10:00 and 19:00, citing both “operational restrictions” and “earlier trains arriving late”. Services calling at Brussels-Midi, Antwerpen-Centraal and Amsterdam Schiphol were also affected, highlighting how sensitive the high-frequency cross-border network is to even minor incidents.
While Eurostar stressed that safety was never compromised, the incident underlines structural vulnerabilities at Europe’s busiest international rail hub. Unlike London St Pancras, which has four through tracks reserved for high-speed trains, the Paris terminus still relies on stub tracks that require every set to reverse out—a manoeuvre that quickly clogs the throat of the station when anything goes wrong.
Corporate travel managers told Global Mobility News they were forced to re-book executives onto later trains, and in some cases to switch to short-haul flights at the last minute. “We lost half a day of meetings in Brussels because our 08:55 departure sat outside the tunnel for 40 minutes,” said the mobility lead of a CAC 40 company. Although Eurostar’s compensation rules offer partial refunds after a 60-minute delay, the administrative burden often falls on the employer.
Looking ahead, Eurostar has warned of further pressure on capacity as Belgian rail unions begin a three-day national strike tomorrow (24–26 November). Travellers with time-critical appointments in London, Brussels or Amsterdam should build in extra buffers or consider remote meetings. The operator says it will publish an amended timetable once the scale of the strike’s impact becomes clear.
For multinationals with staff shuttling between Paris and their Benelux offices, the episode is a reminder that rail—while greener than air—cannot be treated as risk-free. Mobility teams should ensure that duty-of-care dashboards incorporate real-time rail data and that travellers know how to trigger contingency budgets when schedules unravel.
