Eurostar chaos as passengers warned to cancel or postpone holidays after deaths

Eurostar passengers travelling today have been warned to cancel or postpone their trips as chaos erupted after two people were killed on the railway near Lille in France.

Those travelling between London St Pancras International and Gare Du Nord in Paris were delayed for hours in both directions yesterday, with some having their trains called altogether and others facing long delays, yesterday. The knock on effects of the delays is still affecting travellers today.

The French section is also facing more disruption today after cables were stolen and cut overnight in what the French authorities are calling a "a malicious act".

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Many affected passengers are stuck at the Eurostar terminal at London's St Pancreas International, waiting with their luggage and jostling to find somewhere to sit among the crowds.

School children appear to be among those waiting as they head abroad for sporting competitions.

A Eurostar spokeswoman said on Tuesday: "Due to two persons struck by trains near Lille Europe, we've delays and cancellations to our services all evening. We apologise to everyone affected and advise changing your journey for a different travel date.”

And Eurostar confirmed: "All services between London, Brussels, and Paris are disrupted."

French rail company SNCF said: "SNCF Réseau has been the victim of a major act of malicious intent in Lille.

"More than 600m of cable was stolen or cut south of Lille Europe station. The impacts are mainly on high-speed train traffic, departing from and arriving at Lille Europe and Lille Flandres.

"TGV trains are being diverted as much as possible to the conventional line, but the line's capacity is limited and repairs are expected to take part of the day."

The spokesman said around fifteen cable workers and specialist staff had been sent to the scene. Last February, 13 cables totalling several hundred meters were stolen from SNCF property in Lille, causing significant disruption to the network for an entire day.