Eurostar network hit by delays following fatality in France

Passengers on the 7.13am train from Paris to London say they’re still stuck in France

Passengers waiting outside St Pancras station on Tuesday (Twitter/@VequalsL)

Eurostar is warning customers to expect delays in both directions this morning, following a fatality on the tracks in northern France.

In a statement posted to social media, the rail operator wrote: “Due to a fatality in Northern France our services are experiencing disruptions.

“Please arrive at the station at the time stated on your ticket. If you miss your onward connection please speak to a member of our staff. We apologise for the impact this may have on your plans.”

A Eurostar spokesperson told The Independent that part of the track that had been closed due to the incident has now reopened, with trains moving, but all routes are affected.

“We would estimate delays of up to 60 minutes at this stage,” said the spokesperson.

Passengers waiting at St Pancras took to social media to report swelling queues due to the incident, with Lorna Tooley writing: “The Eurostar queue at St Pancras is something else.”

Another customer, Omoba, wrote: “My train from Paris to London is scheduled for 12:13, but the 10:13 and 11:13 seem to be delayed. Are all trains delayed this morning?”

Passengers on the 7.13am service from Paris to London reported that they were still stuck in France nearly three hours into the journey.

Shortly before 10am, Gary Wall tweeted: “I’m on 7:13 from Paris to London and we still haven’t left France. I’ll be flying next time this has been a shambles.”

Passenger Stephen Kingsley posted a time-lapse video of a long queue at St Pancras, with the caption: “Eurostar: celebrating the Platinum Jubilee at St Pancras”.

In it, the queue is seen stretching down the street beside St Pancras station.

It follows major disruption to the company’s London departures on Tuesday, long queues stretched outside St Pancras’s terminal and many customers’ journeys were delayed.

A Eurostar spokesperson said Tuesday’s delays were due to a “technical issue” which had delayed a service early in the morning, but customers reported heavy queues persisting into Tuesday afternoon.

The Independent has asked Eurostar for an update on which services are affected.