Eurostar services connecting London to the European mainland faced severe disruptions and widespread cancellations leading up to the New Year, primarily due to an overhead power supply issue and a failed LeShuttle train within the Channel Tunnel. This dual problem initially halted all services between London, Paris, Amsterdam, and Brussels on Tuesday, December 26, leaving thousands of passengers stranded and facing hours of delays.

Despite the partial resumption of services on a single available line on Tuesday evening, the chaos continued into Wednesday, December 27, with Eurostar warning of ongoing delays and possible last-minute cancellations due to "further issues with rail infrastructure overnight." The first scheduled train from St Pancras to Paris on Wednesday morning was cancelled, while subsequent departures also experienced significant delays, impacting thousands eager to travel during the busy holiday period.

Many passengers endured harrowing journeys, with some reporting being stuck on trains for over 12 hours. James Weatherby, for instance, boarded a 6:04 pm service from St Pancras to Lille which left at 9 pm, only to halt before the Channel Tunnel at 9:30 pm. He and fellow passengers endured hours with no power, relying on emergency lighting until 2:30 am, finally arriving in Lille at 7:08 am – approximately 12 hours after boarding. Similarly, Dennis Van Der Steen's London to Amsterdam train waited six hours at the tunnel entrance without power before returning to London, prompting worries about missing New Year's Eve celebrations.

The lack of basic amenities and information exacerbated the passengers' ordeal. Reports from individuals like X user @yssf_io highlighted being stuck for five hours with "no electricity, no toilet, no info." A French passenger on a 7:01 pm train to Paris reported being stuck until 3 am, describing a mood that was "pretty chill" with sleeping people and playing kids, but noted tired crew and "angry passengers" due to rationed announcements and uncertainty.

Even those using LeShuttle services faced significant delays. Passenger Tim Brown was stuck in his car on a train at the Calais terminal for over three hours without access to food or water, expressing shock at the lack of provisions. Terminal delays were also severe; while Folkestone's six-hour waits dropped to 30 minutes by Wednesday morning, Calais continued to report six-hour delays, and traffic jams plagued the approach to the Folkestone terminal.

In response to the widespread disruption, Eurostar had advised passengers on Tuesday to postpone their journeys. On Wednesday, Eurostar announced plans to run all services but cautioned about potential delays and cancellations. The operator also offered "enhanced compensation," including a full refund of tickets and an additional 150 percent of the ticket price as an e-voucher, and even put on an extra train from London to Paris.

Getlink, the operator of the Channel Tunnel, confirmed an "incident related to the power supply to trains" occurred last night in part of the tunnel, affecting both Eurostar and LeShuttle traffic. The Independent's travel correspondent Simon Calder described Tuesday as "an absolutely miserable day for at least 25,000 passengers," noting that while Eurostar usually runs smoothly, when problems arise, "it goes very wrong indeed."

The incident comes at a challenging time for Eurostar, which has historically held a monopoly on passenger services through the Channel Tunnel. The company currently faces increasing criticism over its high fares, particularly on the popular Paris-London route, and is anticipating future competition from operators like Richard Branson and Italy’s Trenitalia, with the latter aiming to launch a rival service by 2029.