Eurostar and LeShuttle services suspended after power supply problem in the Channel tunnel – business live

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The scene at St Pancras this lunchtime as eurostar passengers faced disruption Photograph: Aneesa Ahmed/The Guardian

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Crowds of passengers are also gathering at Gare du Nord station, near the departure hall to catch a eurostar train to London:

Photograph: Stéphanie Lecocq/Reuters

London-Paris eurostar services 'interrupted until the end of the day'

Passengers at Paris’s Gare du Nord station are being told that services are “interrupted until the end of the day” between the UK and French capitals.

A screen informs passengers of the interruption of Eurostar services at Gare du Nord station today Photograph: Stéphanie Lecocq/Reuters

A Eurostar train at Gare du Nord station today, after Eurostar announced a power supply problem in the Channel Tunnel that links Britain and France Photograph: Stéphanie Lecocq/Reuters

Eurostar suspends ’all trains’ to and from London

Eurostar has now reportedly suspended its cross-Channel train services to and from London, following the power supply problem in the Channel tunnel.

A Eurostar spokesperson said (via the AFP newswire):

“There was a power supply problem in the Channel tunnel, followed by a shuttle train coming to a halt inside.

“All journeys to and from London are suspended until further notice.”

As reported earlier (see here) the LeShuttle car transport services have also been suspended. Le Shuttle now say services are “temporarily suspended for up to 3 hours”.

Here’s a photo of the queue to enter the Eurotunnel LeShuttle site in Folkestone in Kent:

Photograph: Gareth Fuller/PA

Photos: Passengers wait at St Pancras

Eurostar passengers waiting at St Pancras International station in London today Photograph: Maja Smiejkowska/Reuters

Passengers waiting after eurostar warned of delays and cancellations due to an overhead power issue in the Channel Tunnel Photograph: Maja Smiejkowska/Reuters

LeShuttle services temporarily suspended due to power problem

LeShuttle, the railway service that transports road vehicles and their passengers through the Channel tunnel between Folkestone and Calais, is also affected by the power problem.

It says:

Services are temporarily suspended for both terminals due to a power supply issue. We are working hard to resolve this. Apologies for any inconvenience caused.

Lieutenant-Colonel Dean Pallant MBE, who leads Die Heilsarmee (the Salvation Army) in Germany, Poland and Lithuania, reports there are lines of cars at Folkestone, waiting to take the trip to Calais.

Reuters: Eurostar spokesperson: all Eurostar services to and from London suspended until further notice

Reuters are reporting that a Eurostar spokesperson has said all Eurostar services to and from London are “suspended until further notice”.

That’s sickening news for passengers hoping to get away, or home, in time for the new year.

However, several trains are not marked as cancelled or suspended, yet, on the Eurostar train status page….

The six Eurostar services to or from London cancelled so far are:

• ES 9032: The 14.31 from London St Pancras International to Paris Gare du Nord

• ES 9141: The 14.52 from Brussels Midi / Zuid to London St Pancras International

• ES 9039: The 15.12 from Paris Gare du Nord to London St Pancras International

• ES 9036: The 15.31 from London St Pancras International to Paris Gare du Nord

• ES 9148: The 17.04 from London St Pancras International to Brussels Midi / Zuid

• ES 9047: The 17.12 from Paris Gare du Nord to London St Pancras International

One Eurostar passenger confirms via X that they have been delayed:

Here is the latest status update from Eurostar:

Status update

Due to a problem with the overhead power supply in the Channel tunnel and a subsequent failed Le Shuttle train, our trains are likely to be subject to severe delays and last-minute cancellations.

Your train is currently scheduled to run, but your journey could be disrupted. We strongly advise all our passengers to postpone their journey to a different date. Please don’t come to the station unless you already have a ticket to travel.

Eurostar warns of severe delays and cancellations due to power supply issues in Channel tunnel

Newsflash: Eurostar is advising customers not to travel on its service today, following a problem with the overhead power supply in the Channel tunnel.

Eurostar is “strongly” advising all its passengers to postpone their journey to a different date, due to the power problem and a “subsequent failed Le Shuttle train”.

It is urging customers not to come to the station unless they already have a ticket to travel, and warning that trains could suffer severe delays and last-minute cancellations.

Six trains this afternoon, from St Pancras, Brussels and Paris, have been cancelled (details here). Some other services have been delayed.

The end of December is a time for forecasts… and Costas Milas, professor of finance at the University of Liverpool, predicts that central banks in America and Britain face a challenging 2026.

In the UK, the Bank of England is faced with an underperforming economy, but one where inflation is still over target – and where strong unions could push wages up faster than productivity.

The US Federal Reserve, meanwhile, has Donald Trump breathing down its neck demanding interest rate cuts.

In a blog post for the London School of Economics, Professor Milas predicts:

1. Inflation persistence, which has risen over time, will keep UK interest rates higher than longer.

2. Meanwhile the Bank of England’s Quantitative Tightening policy and Britain’s trade union movement are pushing inflation to opposite directions.

3. Bigger interest rate cuts in the US will surely stoke further inflation pressures and shake the confidence of international investors in the Fed. In such an unwelcome scenario, the Fed would suffer huge reputational damage which would then undermine its ability to effectively tackle future financial crises.

FTSE 100 approaching record high

Britain’s FTSE 100 index has hit a six-week high this morning, as it nudges closer to a new record.

The index of blue-chip shares listed in London has gained 27 points to 9,904 points this morning, up almost 0.4%, with mining stocks and banks in the top risers.

That takes the index to its highest level since 13 November, the day after it reached its record high of 9,930 points…..

A stock market indicator board on the final trading day of the year in Tokyo, Japan, today. Photograph: Soichiro Koriyama/EPA