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Thousands of tourists have found themselves stranded today due to a strike that unexpectedly shut down the Channel Tunnel for the majority of the day. Additionally, inclement weather has caused major disruptions to travel plans within the UK.
Currently, Heathrow airport is anticipating its most hectic December yet, as today sees the highest amount of travelers passing through.
Approximately 25,000 travelers who had reservations for Eurostar on Thursday discovered that their trains crossing the English Channel were cancelled.
When the tunnel was shut down by French workers, thirty trains that linked London to Paris, Brussels, and Amsterdam were cancelled.
Eurostar trains are currently running again. At London St Pancras International, travelers are waiting in line to try and reschedule their trips following the cancellations on Thursday.
The train company operating internationally has added eight additional services in an effort to resolve the backlog before Christmas Eve. There will be an extra round-trip between London and Paris on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. Additional trains will also be running on Friday from Brussels and Paris to London.
A representative from Eurostar stated that a complete schedule for trains departing from London, Paris, and Brussels is in operation today, with eight additional services and over 10,000 extra seats available for the next three days.
Eurostar is currently prioritizing bringing individuals back to their homes or to their holiday destinations for Christmas, both today and throughout the weekend.
“Despite the unforeseen circumstances that occurred yesterday, Eurostar is diligently working to assist all impacted customers and ensuring they arrive at their destinations in time to enjoy a wonderful holiday season.”
Shuttles transporting cars between Folkestone and Calais restarted on Thursday evening following the end of the labor strike.
A representative from Eurotunnel stated that after a day of strikes resulting in terminal closures and service interruptions since noon, an agreement has been reached between management and trade union representatives.
Eurotunnel is pleased with this agreement and apologizes again to all customers of LeShuttle, as well as passengers of Eurostar and operators of rail freight, who were affected by the strike.
London Heathrow, the busiest airport in the United Kingdom, is anticipating its busiest day of the winter season on Friday, with approximately 250,000 travelers passing through. The airport is also expecting to close out the year with record-breaking numbers in December, as passenger figures have fully rebounded after the effects of the Covid pandemic.
According to airports in Bristol, Birmingham, Edinburgh, Glasgow, and Aberdeen, Friday will be the busiest day of the winter season.
The highest number of passengers is expected on Saturday at Manchester and Stansted airports.
British Airways has terminated 20 flights within the UK and Europe that were scheduled to depart from or arrive at Heathrow Airport, including those connecting to Manchester, Newcastle, and Glasgow.
The outgoing BA European flights included trips to Basel, Brussels, Copenhagen, Dublin, Dusseldorf, Geneva, and Munich, as well as the return journeys.
A representative from British Airways stated that changes to their schedule have been necessary due to ongoing air traffic control limitations caused by Storm Pia.
“We have expressed regret to our customers for any inconvenience that may have affected their travel arrangements. Our teams are diligently working to expedite their journeys.”
During the holiday season, Friday and Saturday are predicted to be the busiest days on Britain’s railways. There will be additional strain on the major London stations of Paddington and King’s Cross. However, both of these intercity stations will be closed on Christmas Eve for maintenance.
On Thursday, numerous commuters on the East Coast and West Coast main lines experienced train cancellations due to complications caused by Storm Pia.
Numerous trains traveling to and from London Euston and King’s Cross were cancelled due to power line issues.
The primary railway company on the East Coast, LNER, expressed regret for the disruptions caused to travel plans during the holiday season. This was due to the powerful winds that affected their services on December 21st.
Passengers with tickets for cancelled Thursday trains can redeem them for travel on any LNER trains on Friday.
Avanti West Coast has removed all restrictions on peak tickets until Sunday, January 7th. This means that passengers can now use less expensive off-peak fares for their travels.
Source: independent.co.uk
