Overview
- More than 250 passengers were trapped for just under four hours after a Eurostar service failed outside London St Pancras on Wednesday.
- A rescue attempt that reversed an assisting commuter train also stalled, forcing emergency crews to tow both trains out of the tunnel.
- Southeastern reported the Eurostar fault was a locked axle and said the commuter train had stopped in a 'neutral' power section where no traction power is available, so specialist teams had to conduct the recovery.
- Hundreds of travellers missed flights, connecting services or work; operators redirected customers onto the Elizabeth line, London Underground and Thameslink and advised that Delay Repay claims apply.
- Rail companies linked the disruption to an early‑summer heatwave that causes track expansion and technical strain, and Great Western Railway imposed speed restrictions on hot sections while questions grow over communication and contingency planning.