Eurostar passenger compensation dispute after tunnel power failure

Eurostar passenger compensation dispute has erupted after a traveller said the operator owes them £1,800 in expenses but has offered only a £120 voucher. The complaint follows last month’s disruption, when Reuters reported a power failure in the tunnel that stranded thousands of passengers.

Eurostar expenses claim refund and the Brussels station cancellations

In a letter to the Guardian, the passenger said their party of four was left stuck at Brussels station after cancelled trains to and from London halted services for 24 hours, as described by the Guardian. They said Eurostar staff told them to find a hotel and handed out leaflets promising that accommodation, food and transport costs would be refunded.

They later said the Eurostar expenses claim refund process did not match what was set out in those leaflets. Eurostar, they added, sent them to an online rebooking page that showed no availability for two days.

Rebooking page no availability and tickets bought for €1,230

The passenger said that “rebooking page no availability” message did not reflect what they saw elsewhere. On Eurostar’s standard booking site, they said, seats appeared to be on sale for the following day — which they argued suggested new passengers were being prioritised over those who had been stranded.

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In the end, the group used the regular booking site to buy replacement tickets costing €1,230 (£1,072). After submitting an expenses claim, the passenger said they did not receive a cash reimbursement, but a £120 voucher to use on a future Eurostar trip, despite Eurostar outlining how to claim compensation for delays and cancellations.

New Year’s Eve travel affected by Eurostar cancellation

The disruption also affected travellers with plans around New Year’s Eve. Ruby Sleigh, travelling to Brussels to spend the occasion with her partner, said her Eurostar train was cancelled. She said she boarded the 7.04am service from London, which departed an hour late before eventually returning.

Sleigh said she was waiting to see whether she could get another train that day or would need to travel the next day instead. “I’ve come to terms with it now, but it was one of those when they keep being like, ‘it’ll be fine’ and then you’re like, ‘no, we’re going backwards’,” she said.

The 33-year-old, who lives in London while her partner lives in Germany, said they do not get to see each other that often. She added that they had planned to spend time together, meet some of her partner’s friends, and that she had been looking forward to the trip for a long time — making the cancellation “super frustrating”.

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