Eurostar’s New-Year crush turned into a nightmare on 30 December when a fault in the Channel Tunnel’s overhead power supply forced the complete suspension of all passenger and vehicle services for almost six hours. According to tunnel operator Getlink, an electrical surge shortly before 10:00 CET stalled a LeShuttle train and disabled safety circuits on both tracks. French and British engineers isolated the section, evacuated the stuck shuttle and, after intensive repairs, reopened a single line shortly after 17:00 CET.
The knock-on effects were immediate. Eurostar cancelled or severely delayed every departure between Paris, London, Brussels and Amsterdam, leaving thousands marooned at Paris-Gare-du-Nord and London-St Pancras with little information. Services that did run crawled through the affected segment at reduced speed, adding up to three hours to journey times. Eurostar offered free exchanges, refunds and reimbursement for «reasonable» hotels, taxis and meals, but warned that seat availability around the New-Year peak was already tight.
Holidaymakers travelling by car fared no better. LeShuttle bookings were rolled over to later departures, and the Port of Dover laid on overflow parking to manage diverted traffic. EasyJet added two late-evening rotations between Paris-CDG and London-Gatwick, while ferry operators DFDS and P&O increased sailings to soak up demand.
![Channel Tunnel power failure halts Eurostar and LeShuttle on busiest travel day]()
If disrupted travellers suddenly need to reroute via airports or ferry ports in France or the UK, VisaHQ can help secure any last-minute entry documents. Through its quick online portal (https://www.visahq.com/france/), passengers can check visa requirements in minutes, arrange expedited processing and receive expert guidance on border formalities—valuable support when plans change unexpectedly.
For businesses, the outage underlines the fragility of the single fixed link between France and the UK. Corporate mobility managers should advise employees to build slack into Eurostar itineraries this week, keep paper copies of residence-permit stamps that may have to be shown at UKFrench border controls during rerouting, and monitor Getlink’s service bulletins. The incident also highlights the importance of dual-route contingency planning—particularly for critical staff rotations and time-sensitive cargos that rely on «just-in-time» delivery through the tunnel.
Looking ahead, Getlink says a full overnight inspection is under way. If additional cabling needs replacing, single-track working could continue into 31 December, further squeezing capacity just as post-holiday return traffic gathers. Travellers who can postpone journeys until after 2 January are likely to face fewer queues and more predictable schedules.
The knock-on effects were immediate. Eurostar cancelled or severely delayed every departure between Paris, London, Brussels and Amsterdam, leaving thousands marooned at Paris-Gare-du-Nord and London-St Pancras with little information. Services that did run crawled through the affected segment at reduced speed, adding up to three hours to journey times. Eurostar offered free exchanges, refunds and reimbursement for «reasonable» hotels, taxis and meals, but warned that seat availability around the New-Year peak was already tight.
Holidaymakers travelling by car fared no better. LeShuttle bookings were rolled over to later departures, and the Port of Dover laid on overflow parking to manage diverted traffic. EasyJet added two late-evening rotations between Paris-CDG and London-Gatwick, while ferry operators DFDS and P&O increased sailings to soak up demand.
If disrupted travellers suddenly need to reroute via airports or ferry ports in France or the UK, VisaHQ can help secure any last-minute entry documents. Through its quick online portal (https://www.visahq.com/france/), passengers can check visa requirements in minutes, arrange expedited processing and receive expert guidance on border formalities—valuable support when plans change unexpectedly.
For businesses, the outage underlines the fragility of the single fixed link between France and the UK. Corporate mobility managers should advise employees to build slack into Eurostar itineraries this week, keep paper copies of residence-permit stamps that may have to be shown at UKFrench border controls during rerouting, and monitor Getlink’s service bulletins. The incident also highlights the importance of dual-route contingency planning—particularly for critical staff rotations and time-sensitive cargos that rely on «just-in-time» delivery through the tunnel.
Looking ahead, Getlink says a full overnight inspection is under way. If additional cabling needs replacing, single-track working could continue into 31 December, further squeezing capacity just as post-holiday return traffic gathers. Travellers who can postpone journeys until after 2 January are likely to face fewer queues and more predictable schedules.
