Eurostar and Le Shuttle passengers endured a second straight day of chaos on 31 December 2025 after an overhead-power failure inside the Channel Tunnel halted dozens of services at the height of the New-Year getaway. Trains serving the Brussels-London, Paris-London and Amsterdam-London corridors were delayed or cancelled, with one London-to-Lille service arriving 11 hours late. Operator Getlink confirmed that the incident originated on the UK side of the tunnel but created knock-on signalling issues throughout the 50-kilometre under-sea link.
By mid-morning Wednesday, limited traffic had restarted, but Eurostar warned travellers to expect “substantial residual delays and possible short-notice cancellations” while engineers inspected damaged catenary lines and reset signalling software. In Brussels-South (Midi), digital boards listed average delays of three hours, forcing hundreds of passengers—including business travellers returning for 2 January board meetings—to scramble for Thalys or airline alternatives.
For anyone whose rerouted journey suddenly requires a different visa regime—such as third-country nationals detouring via Schengen airports or extending an unplanned stay—VisaHQ can streamline the paperwork. Its Belgium portal (https://www.visahq.com/belgium/) breaks down entry requirements by nationality and can secure express appointments, letting stranded travellers focus on rebooking rather than bureaucracy.
![Channel-Tunnel power failure snarls Eurostar traffic between Brussels, Paris and London]()
The timing could hardly be worse for Eurostar, which is already facing criticism over high fares and capacity constraints as it seeks post-pandemic profitability. The carrier acknowledged customer frustration, distributing water and snack packs onboard but conceding that ventilation and toilet systems failed on some stranded trains when auxiliary power ran low.
Corporate travel managers are advising assignees to keep flexible tickets and monitor service updates through Eurostar’s app. Logistics providers using Le Shuttle freight services reported minimal cargo backlogs, but supply-chain experts warn that even a 24-hour disruption can ripple through just-in-time manufacturing schedules in Belgium’s automotive and pharmaceutical clusters.
Eurostar stated that normal operations should resume on 1 January “subject to overnight infrastructure checks.” Getlink pledged an internal review and a joint incident-response exercise with UK Network Rail and Infrabel to shore up cross-border resilience before the Easter peak.
By mid-morning Wednesday, limited traffic had restarted, but Eurostar warned travellers to expect “substantial residual delays and possible short-notice cancellations” while engineers inspected damaged catenary lines and reset signalling software. In Brussels-South (Midi), digital boards listed average delays of three hours, forcing hundreds of passengers—including business travellers returning for 2 January board meetings—to scramble for Thalys or airline alternatives.
For anyone whose rerouted journey suddenly requires a different visa regime—such as third-country nationals detouring via Schengen airports or extending an unplanned stay—VisaHQ can streamline the paperwork. Its Belgium portal (https://www.visahq.com/belgium/) breaks down entry requirements by nationality and can secure express appointments, letting stranded travellers focus on rebooking rather than bureaucracy.
The timing could hardly be worse for Eurostar, which is already facing criticism over high fares and capacity constraints as it seeks post-pandemic profitability. The carrier acknowledged customer frustration, distributing water and snack packs onboard but conceding that ventilation and toilet systems failed on some stranded trains when auxiliary power ran low.
Corporate travel managers are advising assignees to keep flexible tickets and monitor service updates through Eurostar’s app. Logistics providers using Le Shuttle freight services reported minimal cargo backlogs, but supply-chain experts warn that even a 24-hour disruption can ripple through just-in-time manufacturing schedules in Belgium’s automotive and pharmaceutical clusters.
Eurostar stated that normal operations should resume on 1 January “subject to overnight infrastructure checks.” Getlink pledged an internal review and a joint incident-response exercise with UK Network Rail and Infrabel to shore up cross-border resilience before the Easter peak.
