Eurostar mass cancellations: ticket reimbursement or exchange options

Thousands of passengers left stranded by the Eurostar cancellations on December 30 have been confronted by the mounting costs of hotels and alternative travel arrangements. We look at what options they have.

Up to 30,000 people saw their trains cancelled due to a flooded tunnel under the river Thames.

While the cause of the flooding has yet to be ascertained, on Sunday morning Eurostar announced that it had been brought under control.

"There will be some speed restrictions in place this morning which may lead to delays and stations are expected to be very busy," it said.

The speed restrictions were lifted by 12:00 and the schedule was back to normal.

However, Eurostar said that there are no available tickets for trains on December 31, leaving many people on both sides of the Channel with limited travel options.

"There are no trains, no ferries, no hotels,” one passenger told BBC News.

"I do not have £1,200 a night to stay in Paris. I cannot even get a train or any connections into Amsterdam and back across home to England.”

What obligations do train companies have for stranded passengers?

Train companies are not constrained by same ‘duty of care’ as airlines, however they do have some obligations while stranded passengers await the next available train, notably:

• To pay for a hotel room - passengers are entitled to €170/£150 a day (if they cannot return home)
• To pay for food - passengers are entitled to €60/£50 a day

Alternative travel options for stranded passengers are limited at present. The next availability for foot passengers on the Dover to Calais route is January 1.

However, train companies do not have to pay for alternative travel arrangements.

What can affected passengers do?

Eurostar proposes three solutions for passengers affected by the mass cancellation:

• Exchangefor another ticket within three months

• Claim an e-voucher within three months to purchase another ticket to use within 12 months

• Request a refund within three months for the price of the ticket (but not booking or travel agency fees). Note that even in normal circumstances Eurostar can take up to 28 days to process a refund claim.

If you have been affected by the cancellations, you can request one of these three options on Eurostar’s website here.

The mass cancellations of December 30 come only nine days after a ‘surprise strike’ by Channel Tunnel operator Getlink left thousands of passengers stranded.

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