No power or toilets for around 700 London to Amsterdam Eurostar passengers stranded after breakdown in Kent

AFTER a Eurostar train broke down in Kent this Thursday, November 30, around 700 passengers were left stranded.

The train departed at 8:16 am from London St Pancras on its regular route to the Dutch capital of Amsterdam. However, just 30 minutes into the journey, as it was nearing the Channel Tunnel, the continental rail service broke down.

While the rain was stopped, its power supply was cut, leaving passengers without electricity, which meant no aircon and they were unable to use the on board toilets. It also appears that nobody was allowed to get off the train, according to comments posted on social media.

According to Eurostar, an overhead cable falling on the train was the cause of the breakdown. Due to the power being cut, the company pointed out that no announcements were able to be made to the passengers.

‘We’re sorry for the delay to the #ES9114 today. The train is being detached from the overhead power lines but this is taking longer than expected. Due to a lack of power on board, it’s not possible for announcements to be made. We apologise for the inconvenience, the company tweeted earlier this afternoon.

We're sorry for the delay to the #ES9114 today. The train is being detached from the overhead power lines but this is taking longer than expected. Due to a lack of power on board, it's not possible for announcements to be made. We apologise for the inconvenience.

— Eurostar (@Eurostar) November 30, 2023

In an update three hours later, Eurostar wrote: ‘Hello, we are aware of the very challenging situation on board 9114, and are extremely sorry for the experience. The train has now begun its way back to London. The situation was complicated due to the position of the train and the track infrastructure’.

Hello, we are aware of the very challenging situation on board 9114, and are extremely sorry for the experience. The train has now begun its way back to London. The situation was complicated due to the position of the train and the track infrastructure.

— Eurostar (@Eurostar) November 30, 2023

‘There are around 700 passengers and crew on board. They are confirmed to be safe’, Eurostar said in a statement to Sky News.

It explained: ‘Following a complicated situation due to the position of the train and the track infrastructure, it meant that certain safety procedures had to be adhered to before we could move the train’. The company added: ‘Eurostar are sorry for issues caused that customers have experienced today.

Many users took to social media to comment on the situation. Some complained of ‘minimal communication from staff’ and asked why passengers could not be kept informed face-to-face even if there was no power to make announcements over the tannoy.