Eurostar trains resume operations after major cable theft

Eurostar has resumed normal operations after a large-scale theft of signal cable in northern France severely disrupted services between the UK and mainland Europe, stranding thousands of travelers and sparking concerns about potential sabotage.

The incident unfolded early Wednesday when 600 meters of essential signaling cable was discovered either stolen or deliberately severed near Lille Europe station, a critical hub linking London with Paris, Brussels, and Amsterdam. The damage prompted widespread delays and cancellations, with passengers advised to cancel or postpone their journeys.

“Due to the theft, our trains were likely to be subject to severe delays and last-minute cancellations,” Eurostar said in a morning alert to customers. “Our stations are very busy, and we advise you to cancel or postpone your trip.”

Eurostar offered full refunds and free exchanges as technicians rushed to the scene. By the afternoon, a team of 15 engineers had completed emergency repairs, and services slowly began returning to normal.

The disruption triggered chaos at London’s St Pancras station, where confused and frustrated passengers gathered, many unsure of the status of their trips.

“It has been a nightmare. It’s been pretty shocking,” said Ed, a 41-year-old renewable energy worker who was traveling with his colleague Paul, 37, to a meeting in Paris. “The app basically said: ‘Your journey is being disrupted’, but they didn’t say: ‘Your train is definitely cancelled’, so it’s been quite confusing and we’re wondering if we will still get our money back.”

A couple in their 70s from Coventry, whose holiday plans were thrown into disarray, described waiting all day for updates. “We had our train cancelled this morning and we’ve been waiting most of the day for Eurostar to make alternative arrangements,” they said, adding that they were planning to fly to Spain from Gatwick instead.

By 4 PM, some semblance of order had returned to the station, with one train to Brussels departing with only a 35-minute delay.

French police have launched a formal investigation. Forensic teams were deployed near Mont-de-Terre station, where the theft occurred along tracks between Lille and Lezennes. The French regional rail network, TER Hauts-de-France, confirmed that cable specialists worked throughout the day to install replacements. According to SNCF, the national rail operator, the repairs required reconnecting approximately 15 wires within each cable, “meticulous work,” a spokesperson noted.

The disruption comes on the heels of another incident in the Netherlands, where a power outage affecting around 30 rail cables disrupted service near Schiphol Airport, just 50km from the NATO summit in The Hague. Dutch Justice Minister David van Weel suggested the possibility of sabotage, telling reporters: “The question is who is behind it. It can be an activist group, it can be a country.”

Wednesday’s incident follows a deadly Tuesday on the same Lille-Paris route, when two unrelated fatalities led to day-long shutdowns. Similar rail sabotage was reported in Spain last month, where stolen signal cable disrupted tens of thousands of journeys during a busy holiday weekend.

As investigations continue, security concerns are mounting around key infrastructure, particularly with international events such as the NATO summit drawing geopolitical attention.