75,000 affected by Eurostar cancellations

It is estimated that approximately 75,000 passengers have been affected in the Eurostar backlog as British and French authorities demand answers as to what caused the trains to malfunction.

Those with pre-booked tickets to travel this week were not guaranteed a seat and could be bumped off the flight to allow those who had been delayed since the weekend to travel first.

Priority is to be given to those who have been waiting to travel since Saturday, and the young and elderly, prompting fears of tension as passengers attempt to secure a seat.

Eurostar has commenced a limited service from Tuesday this week following three days of cancellations due to icy conditions.

The company has encouraged passengers who do not require essential travel to rebook, as the company attempts to cope with the backlog of 55,000 affected by the suspension and a further 20,000 who are expected to use the service this week.

The cancellation of services have seen a sharp rise in the cost of airfares and ferry crossings between Britain and France, with some passengers forced to pay up to £1,100 for alternative modes of transport.

Eurostar chiefs have warned that it would be very busy in London, Paris and Brussels as they try to remove the backlog of passengers in what is the busiest time of year.

An inquiry has been launched to look into Eurostar’s preparedness and why it took such a long period of time to evacuate passengers from the five broken trains.

It has been reported that some passengers were left stranded for up to 16 hours without food, water or light.