France train disruptions worsen as cable theft halts Eurostar operations

Train services between London and Paris were severely disrupted for the second consecutive day on June 25 after a significant theft of railway cables in northern France, according to statements from Eurostar and the French national railway operator SNCF.

SNCF said that more than 600 meters of cable were either stolen or cut overnight just south of Lille-Europe station, a key point on the high-speed rail route connecting the British and French capitals, Caliber.Az reports via AFP.

“The impact is primarily affecting high-speed trains,” SNCF stated.

To address the situation, approximately 15 workers, including specialised cable-laying teams, were deployed to the site. However, the operator warned that repairs would likely take most of the day to complete.

In Lille’s Mont-de-Terre district, AFP reporters observed workers in high-visibility orange vests painstakingly reconnecting dozens of colour-coded cables, threading them back into thick conduits running alongside the tracks.

Police contacted by AFP did not provide further details regarding the cable theft.

According to Eurostar’s website, six trains between London and Paris — three in each direction — were cancelled on June 25. Other services were still scheduled to operate, though several trains between London and Brussels experienced delays.

“Due to cable theft near Lille-Europe, our trains are likely to face major delays and last-minute cancellations,” Eurostar announced, offering affected passengers the option to cancel or postpone their journeys free of charge.

This incident followed a separate disruption the previous evening, when two people were struck by a train near Lille-Europe, causing additional delays.

Juliette Clément, a Eurostar spokesperson, told AFP that some trains were being diverted onto secondary routes, which is resulting in longer travel times.

The disruption has prompted frustration among passengers, with several taking to the social media platform X (formerly Twitter) to express their complaints.

SNCF also confirmed that approximately ten high-speed services between Lille and Paris were cancelled due to the incident.

By Tamilla Hasanova