Eurostar passengers are bracing for further possible delays and cancellations after the rail network was forced to cancel a large part of its London-Europe service on Tuesday.

Rail services to and from continental Europe – on both Eurostar and The Shuttle – were suspended for much of the day after a power outage due to a technical problem and a Shuttle breakdown blocking all routes.

This disruption disrupted New Year’s plans for thousands of passengers LondonParis, Brussels and Amsterdam during one of the busiest travel weeks of the year.

Repairs are underway to try to resolve the problem.

Eurostar said it was gradually resuming some of its services around 3 p.m. Tuesday, but passengers were asked to stay away.

From the early hours of Friday, the first Eurostar trains to Paris, Brussels and Amsterdam around 6 a.m. appeared as canceled, while Le Shuttle recorded delays of at least an hour compared to the reserved departure times.

Eurostar told passengers: “As problems with the overhead power supply in the Channel Tunnel remain, only one line is available to operate trains.

“This means there will still be delays and longer journey times than usual this evening.

“Therefore, we continue to advise our customers to rebook their trip for another day if possible, with free exchanges available.

“We also advise customers not to travel to our stations if their trains have already been cancelled.”

He added: “While this is beyond our control, we apologize for today’s disruption and will continue to keep customers informed of the latest information and help them reschedule their reservations.”

Getlink, which operates the tunnel infrastructure, said repairs to the power supply were underway and traffic services were slowly being restored in both directions.

“Our teams are working to restore the situation as quickly as possible. Waiting times will be adjusted throughout the day,” adds the company.

“Eurotunnel apologizes for the inconvenience caused and thanks its customers for their patience and understanding.”

The Channel Tunnel accommodates Eurostar services as well as LeShuttle vehicle trains between the United Kingdom and France.

Learn more:
Passenger rights after Channel Tunnel disruption
Families devastated by ruined New Year’s trips

Among those affected was cancer patient Ethlyn Buckmire, who spent £3,500 on her son’s dream trip to Disneyland’s 10th anniversary, only for their train to be turned away at the Channel Tunnel.

Ms Buckmire told Sky News she didn’t buy travel insurance because her cancer diagnosis made the premiums too expensive.

“We’re going to try to go home and salvage the rest of the holiday season and try to celebrate his birthday in another way,” she said, “but to be honest, I don’t have the energy, I really don’t. We were looking forward to this trip so much.”

Another family, from Nigeria, risk of being “stranded” in London without a hotel after their ParisThe destination train was also turned back.