Early-morning Eurostar passengers leaving Paris Gare du Nord on 24 December faced delays of up to three hours after what the operator called “technical problems between Paris and Bruxelles-Midi.” Holiday demand meant most trains were nearly sold out, so even short interruptions cascaded through the day’s schedule.
Crowding at both Gare du Nord and Brussels-Midi forced station staff to meter access to the platforms, lengthening exit and entry-checks performed by French police and Belgian border guards. Travellers connecting onward to Thalys or Deutsche Bahn services risked missing their trains, while business passengers seeking to squeeze in last-minute meetings before Christmas scrambled for alternatives.
Eurostar said engineers resolved the underlying signalling fault by mid-morning, but admitted that knock-on delays would persist until late afternoon. Ticket-change fees were waived, yet seat availability on later trains was extremely limited. Mobility teams responsible for expatriate commuters between the two capitals were advised to activate remote-work contingencies or book high-speed TGV services via Lille as a back-up.
![Technical Glitch Triggers Three-Hour Delays on Paris–Brussels Eurostar Christmas Eve Services]()
For travellers who may also be juggling new or upcoming entry formalities between the UK and the Schengen zone, VisaHQ can take much of the stress out of paperwork. Its France portal (https://www.visahq.com/france/) provides clear, real-time guidance on visas, ETIAS authorisations and other travel documents, ensuring that when rail schedules go off the rails, documents at least stay on track.
The incident highlights how thin the margin for error has become on the oversubscribed Paris–Brussels corridor. Once the EU Entry/Exit System (EES) introduces mandatory biometrics for third-country nationals in 2026, dwell times at stations could lengthen further, making timetable recovery even harder during peak periods.
Eurostar promised an internal review and said it would accelerate planned investments in predictive maintenance for the cross-border line, whose catenary and signalling are shared between French and Belgian infrastructure managers.
Crowding at both Gare du Nord and Brussels-Midi forced station staff to meter access to the platforms, lengthening exit and entry-checks performed by French police and Belgian border guards. Travellers connecting onward to Thalys or Deutsche Bahn services risked missing their trains, while business passengers seeking to squeeze in last-minute meetings before Christmas scrambled for alternatives.
Eurostar said engineers resolved the underlying signalling fault by mid-morning, but admitted that knock-on delays would persist until late afternoon. Ticket-change fees were waived, yet seat availability on later trains was extremely limited. Mobility teams responsible for expatriate commuters between the two capitals were advised to activate remote-work contingencies or book high-speed TGV services via Lille as a back-up.
For travellers who may also be juggling new or upcoming entry formalities between the UK and the Schengen zone, VisaHQ can take much of the stress out of paperwork. Its France portal (https://www.visahq.com/france/) provides clear, real-time guidance on visas, ETIAS authorisations and other travel documents, ensuring that when rail schedules go off the rails, documents at least stay on track.
The incident highlights how thin the margin for error has become on the oversubscribed Paris–Brussels corridor. Once the EU Entry/Exit System (EES) introduces mandatory biometrics for third-country nationals in 2026, dwell times at stations could lengthen further, making timetable recovery even harder during peak periods.
Eurostar promised an internal review and said it would accelerate planned investments in predictive maintenance for the cross-border line, whose catenary and signalling are shared between French and Belgian infrastructure managers.
