Eurostar passengers endured a challenging situation as their journey from Paris to Amsterdam came to a halt for eight hours during a scorching heatwave. The train, en route to Amsterdam from Gare du Nord in Paris, experienced a technical issue due to the extreme heat near Fresnoy-le-Luat (Oise) on Wednesday evening.
Stranded without power or air conditioning, passengers had to wait onboard the train or beside the tracks until the problem was fixed. The delay extended to over eight hours, prompting frustrated passengers to express their discontent on social media. One passenger questioned the situation, posting, “Eurostar, our Paris to Brussels train is stuck on the tracks, what is happening?”
Eurostar acknowledged the incident, attributing it to the exceptional heatwave conditions. Despite the challenging circumstances, authorities including police, firefighters, and civil protection teams were present to assist passengers, especially the elderly, and provide water as reported by the Daily Star.
A replacement service eventually arrived at 12:30 am the following day, allowing passengers to resume their journey to Brussels. The original arrival time in Brussels of 7:47 pm on Wednesday was significantly delayed. Passengers who remained continued their trip to Amsterdam by bus or taxi.
Eurostar’s Chief Operating Officer, Amar Chaabi, expressed sincere apologies to the affected passengers, emphasizing that passenger safety was paramount throughout the incident. Acknowledging the efforts of various teams and emergency services, Chaabi highlighted the commitment to analyzing the incident thoroughly for continuous improvement in customer service.