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LATEST: Eurostar cancels Saturday services due to flooding in UK

Eurostar services were cancelled on Saturday, due to flooding in a UK rail tunnel.

LATEST: Eurostar cancels Saturday services due to flooding in UK
Eurostar passengers at Paris Gare du Nord. Photo by Dimitar DILKOFF / AFP

Eurostar has cancelled all its Saturday services for the rest of the day due to flooded tunnels in southeastern England.

“Flooding in the tunnels between St Pancras International and Ebbsfleet has not improved and train services are unable to operate. Eurostar has therefore had to take the unfortunate decision to cancel all services for the rest of the day,” the company said in a statement.

Thousands of passengers have been stranded on what was expected to be one of the busiest travel days of the year.

READ ALSO Misery for Eurostar passengers over New Year

Services departing from London St Pancras, Paris Gare du Nord and Brussels Midi are affected.

The cause of the cancellations is flooding – a tunnel near Ebbsfleet International station in Kent was inundated as the Met Office issued weather warnings for rain, snow and ice across large swathes of the UK.

Domestic rail services in southern England are also affected.

“Flooding between Ebbsfleet International and London St Pancras International means that all lines are blocked. Trains running between these stations may be cancelled,” the train operator Southeastern said on its website.

“Disruption is expected until the end of the day.”

It is not clear whether Sunday services will be affected.

Southeastern said flooding had affected both railway tunnels near Ebbsfleet, meaning both tunnels are closed.

“This means no trains can run between London St Pancras International and Ebbsfleet International,” Southeastern added.

Because the issue is with rail track close to London, Channel Tunnel Le Shuttle services are unaffected.

The major travel disruption comes just a week after dozens of Eurostar services were cancelled due to a strike by workers in the Channel Tunnel.

The brief strike on Thursday, December 21st, saw around a dozen Eurostar services cancelled and thousands of passengers suffered disrupted Christmas journeys.

Eurostar train services resumed on December 22nd after an agreement was reached.

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PARIS 2024 OLYMPICS

How Paris’s Olympic carpool lanes will work 

Throughout the Olympic and Paralympic Games periods, some 185km of lanes on roads around Paris will be reserved for event-related traffic – here’s what you need to know.

How Paris’s Olympic carpool lanes will work 

Between July 15th and September 11th, ‘Olympic lanes’ will be in use along certain stretches of key roads in and around Paris.

These lanes will be reserved for use by accredited vehicles to transport athletes, accredited journalists and official delegations, as well as emergency and security vehicles, cabs, ambulances and public transport.

READ ALSO Apps, reservations and flying taxis: What to know before visiting Paris this summer

The lanes will be activated on July 15, on the following roads:

  • A1 between Roissy Charles de Gaulle and Porte de la Chapelle, until September 11th;
  • A4 between Collégien and Porte de Bercy until August 13th, then from August 30th to September 8th;
  • A12 between Rocquencourt and Montigny le Bretonneux until August 13th, and again from August 27th to September 8th;
  • A13 between Porte Maillot and Rocquencourt until August 13th, then from August 27th to September 8th;
  • Boulevard périphérique, from Porte de Vanves to Porte de Bercy, via the north until August 13th, then from August 22th to September 11th;
  • Boulevard Circulaire (La Défense) until August 13th, then from August 22nd to September 11th;
  • Lanes on certain routes in Paris.

None of these roads will be closed – lanes along these routes that are not reserved for Olympic or Paralympic Games traffic are open to road users as usual.

The lanes in question will be signposted – signs, clearly marked with the words “Paris 2024”, will be in place from July 1st, and will be removed by the end of the day on September 15h. 

READ ALSO How to use Paris public transport during the Olympics

Who can use dedicated Olympic lanes?

Only vehicles and road users that have been properly accredited by the Organising Committee of the 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games can travel along these lanes during the periods indicated above. 

They include:

  • vehicles of accredited persons;
  • cabs;
  • public transport vehicles;
  • vehicles designed to facilitate the transport of people with reduced mobility;
  • and emergency and security vehicles.

READ ALSO Who needs a QR code to get around Paris during the Olympics

All other vehicles are prohibited from using these lanes throughout the Olympic Games period. Any vehicle circulating on an Olympic lane without having received prior authorisation is liable to a fine of €135 and possible further prosecution.

Road users without Olympic accreditation are advised to be aware of possible travel issues, as more vehicles are filtered into the other lanes. Therefore it would be wise to allow a little extra time for your journey if you are using one of the listed roads during the Games period.

An interactive map, showing routes with Olympic lanes is available here

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