Last Updated on fifth February 2024 by Sophie Nadeau
If you’re a fan of practice journey, you then’ve little question heard of Eurostar, whose hottest providing is a practice instantly from London to Paris. In simply two and a half hours, you’ll be transported underneath the Channel Tunnel from metropolis centre to metropolis centre; the entire comfort of practice journey with out the trouble and stress of airports… till your practice is cancelled. Here’s what to do when your Eurostar practice is cancelled.
I’ve been travelling with Eurostar for a few years as I’ve spent my grownup life residing between Paris and London, spending a couple of years in Paris earlier than switching again to London and vice versa.
Unfortunately, as of 2024, I’ve undoubtedly observed an uptick within the variety of delays and cancellations of the Eurostar submit Brexit, Covid, and a myriad of different elements. When there are delays and cancellations, I’ve additionally observed you could be left for hours with none info which is why I’ve written this submit.
During intervals of extreme delays, the ‘live tracker’ can also’t be relied on as I’ve typically been on trains that are severely delayed and say that they’re nonetheless on time (and even that they’ve arrived once we’re nonetheless on the practice caught someplace!)
What to do in case your practice is cancelled
If your practice is cancelled, there are two choices usually out there to you:
- Get a full refund of your ticket (sadly in case you have booked your ticket effectively prematurely then this in all probability gained’t make a dent in the price of shopping for a brand new mode of transportation dwelling like a flight)
- Get on the following out there practice (that is normally the following day, however throughout actually busy vacation intervals may be a number of days sooner or later. During your delay you may be capable of declare for lodging and meals prices. You can’t reclaim the price of your ticket or delay compensation in case your earlier practice was delayed and you modify your ticket for the following out there one)
If your practice is cancelled and there are not any extra trains out there the identical day, you’ll be able to declare as much as €170/£150 per room per night time for a resort, and meals prices of €60/£50 for every 24-hour keep. You can even declare prices associated to calling anybody who was ready for you at your vacation spot and transport between the station and your lodging.
Unfortunately, in case your practice is cancelled round midnight (as ours as soon as was), you’ll in all probability haven’t any means of discovering a resort final minute, particularly as it’s important to undergo passport management once more to be let loose of the station. Gare du Nord truly closes for a couple of hours throughout the nighttime and so that you gained’t be capable of keep within the practice station.
The space across the station is not the most secure at night time and so I like to recommend heading to a 24 hour quick meals chain in the event you actually can’t discover a resort. I really feel lucky that we now have buddies in London and Paris who’ve at all times been capable of accommodate us final minute and so we haven’t run into this case.
There are a lot of stories of Eurostar employees in Paris saying that passengers on varied delayed trains are usually not entitled to say for these items however the confusion seemingly arose as, if you’re in your house city, then you aren’t entitled to an obligation of care.
You don’t have the identical rights travelling by practice as on an airline
Unfortunately, vital to notice is that you simply gained’t have the identical rights as airline journey regardless of the Eurostar being a cross-country service. Aside from the truth that the Eurostar is often much more costly than flying, that is my greatest gripe with the practice service.
And, whereas it is a legislative situation quite than a Eurostar particular one, it undoubtedly is a matter which I hope is rectified quickly (particularly as extra folks flip to coach journey for environmental causes). Unfortunately, because of this:
- Eurostar doesn’t should cowl costly flights or different modes of transportation just like the ferry: Unlike in aviation the place the airline is sure to get you to your vacation spot (or refund your various in the event you guide a brand new flight/ mode of transportation your self), no parallel exists within the practice world. This can go away you a whole lot of euros out of pocket, although your journey insurance coverage may cowl this.
- You is not going to recoup the price of a pay as you go resort overseas: If you will have booked a resort overseas (say in Paris in the event you’re travelling from London), then you’ll not get any a refund in the event you can’t attain the resort as a consequence of a Eurostar cancellations. Check together with your journey insurance coverage if it covers this.
- You gained’t obtain compensation: Rather annoyingly, if Eurostar cancels your practice, you gained’t obtain any compensation as you’d in the event you had been travelling through a aircraft. It’s truly extra handy in case your practice is delayed as a result of this manner you’ll get compensation (if delayed by a sure period of time) and truly get to your vacation spot.
Eurostar options
If your practice is cancelled then there are a couple of choices to get between London and Paris. However, please observe that if tunnel strike motion impacts your practice, then it will seemingly additionally have an effect on companies such because the Eurostar automotive tunnel, that means you gained’t be capable of get a coach.
- Flying: the apparent various is flying. However, if plenty of Eurostar trains are cancelled, then flights go up in worth rather a lot and likewise are inclined to promote out (comparable to throughout the strikes of the 2023 Holiday Season).
- Taking a coach: there are common coaches between London and Paris with Flixbus, which may be fairly lengthy however are essentially the most funds pleasant possibility. When I used to be a pupil I repeatedly took the bus between the 2 cities, and whereas it’s typically fairly delayed, you actually can’t beat the value!
- Ferry: Ferries run between Dover and Calais frequently and crossings solely take an hour. You can get from London to Dover by bus in round an hour and 1 / 4 on the bus and you will get from Paris to Calais in round three hours on the practice.
Tips to keep away from cancelled Eurostar trains
In all of my expertise, an important factor you need to do to keep away from ending up with a cancelled Eurostar practice is to keep away from reserving the final two trains of the day. Often, when trains are operating behind as a consequence of technical causes or an accident, Eurostar will find yourself cancelling the final practice (or two) of the day.
This is actually because the final Channel Tunnel entry is round midnight and so trains can’t journey by to (or out of) the UK previous this level. Having discovered this the exhausting means (one time we had been compelled to attend within the ready room at Gare du Nord up till midnight with no facilities or information- the cafés had all closed, the merchandising machines had run out, and the bogs had been in a fairly dangerous situation), I now at all times keep away from the ultimate practice of the day.
If I’ve an vital occasion to get to comparable to a Wedding or a flight out of a significant airport, I now not can depend on travelling with Eurostar to achieve my vacation spot the identical day (we missed a thirtieth Birthday, my husband getting again to work on time on a Monday, and some different occasions as a consequence of extreme delays and cancellations in 2023) and so now go away not less than a day buffer.
What this implies is travelling a day forward of time to both London or Paris in order that, within the occasion of a extreme delay or cancellation, you gained’t miss your vital deadline.
What to do in case your Eurostar practice is delayed
As I discussed beforehand, the method of coping with a practice delay tends to be a lot simpler and less complicated than a practice cancellation (except your delay turns right into a cancellation, which is a narrative for an additional time!)
Typically, in case your practice is delayed then you need to nonetheless head to the station in your scheduled time (round an hour to an hour and a half earlier than your practice departs relying on the departure station) except in any other case instructed to take action by Eurostar.
I’ve been on trains which have been delayed each on the station and whereas we’ve already been aboard. If you might be at both the station or onboard and the delay is sort of lengthy, then the entire foods and drinks out there tends to promote out (as do the merchandising machines) so do come ready with meals and drinks if you recognize you’re travelling on a day the place there might be delays.
Unlike on the aircraft, you’ll be able to convey liquids by safety, although you’ll be able to’t devour your personal alcohol so stick with gentle drinks! I’ve been on a lot of delayed trains for varied causes; for technical issues on the road, as a consequence of strike, and as soon as sadly I used to be on a practice which collided with one other car on the tracks and so our practice was held for 4 hours whereas the French police carried out an investigation.
If you might be on a delayed practice and you might be there for a number of hours, then the employees will typically hand out bottles of water and a small snack comparable to a KitKat. If you might be delayed by greater than a sure period of time (60 minutes) you might be eligible for compensation in both money or as a voucher to make use of of Eurostar (I at all times go for the voucher as it’s value more cash):
- 60-119 minutes delayed: 30% of the price of the affected leg as a Eurostar e-voucher or 25% of the price of the affected leg as a money refund
- 120-179 minutes delayed: 60% of the price of the affected leg as a Eurostar e-voucher or 50% of the price of the affected leg as a money refund
- 180 minutes+ delayed: 75% of the price of the affected leg as a Eurostar e-voucher or 50% of the price of the affected leg as a money refund
In order to say the voucher you normally have to attend till not less than 24 hours after your practice has arrived (generally the system can take a couple of days to permit so that you can apply). You can apply for a voucher as much as 3 months from the date you had been as a consequence of journey after your delayed practice and the voucher is legitimate for 12 months from the the date of your delayed practice.
A ultimate observe
As somebody with an intense worry of flying and who would at all times choose to take a practice I take pleasure in taking the Eurostar and discover it fairly simple to make use of when the whole lot goes easily. However, it’s far more costly than taking the aircraft and also you do not need as many client rights, which is certainly one thing to contemplate in the event you’re travelling throughout a annoying journey interval (comparable to over Christmas).
If you’re on the lookout for extra Eurostar evaluations, right here’s what it’s prefer to journey in Eurostar Standard Premier and a assessment of the Eurostar Business Premier lounge in London.
Sophie Nadeau loves canines, books, journey, pizza, and historical past. A Francophile at coronary heart, she runs solosophie.com when she’s not chasing after the following sundown shot or consuming one thing candy. She splits her time between Paris and London and travels as a lot as she will be able to! Subscribe to Sophie’s YouTube Channel.