Subhi Agrawal
A quarter of all Eurostar trains will be canceled, and passengers traveling from London to Paris were asked to postpone trips after arson attacks caused widespread disruption to France’s high-speed rail network ahead of the start of the Paris Olympics 2024.
“We encourage our customers to postpone their trip” said Eurostar
Despite having long diversions to slower tracks, Eurostar’s rail operator tried to take control of the situation and said it would attempt to ensure passengers could reach their destinations.
Eurostar said in a statement: “Due to coordinated acts of malice in France, affecting the high-speed line between Paris and Lille, all high-speed trains going to and coming from Paris are being diverted via the classic line today Friday July 26.”
“This extends the journey time by around an hour and a half. Eurostar expects this situation will last until Monday morning. Today, Eurostar will cancel 25% of its trains. It will also be the case on Saturday 27 and Sunday 28.” Eurostar added
“Eurostar’s teams are fully mobilized in stations, in the call centers and onboard to ensure that all passengers are informed and can reach their destination. We encourage our customers to postpone their trip if possible.” Eurostar concluded
Delays making passengers anxious
The rail disruption and delay had left the passengers anxious as they wanted to attend the opening ceremony of the Olympics. The parents of athlete Ellie Boatman from Team GB’s rugby, waiting for the train said they were ready to wait “for however long.”
“We knew this is absolutely the worst time to go to Paris because of the Olympics so we’re prepared for it to take longer. When I saw the delay on the departure board, I was like: ‘whatever, as long as we’re there.” a passenger said
“We want to see the opening ceremony. This is bad for us. We don’t have tickets but we want to see the fireworks.” another passenger stated
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