Thousands of Eurostar passengers are experiencing severe delays and cancellations following two track fatalities and cable theft.
600 metres of copper cables were stolen overnight from a rail line near Lille, French media has reported, meaning trains could not run on those tracks until repairs were carried out.
Eurostar advised people who planned to travel on Wednesday to postpone their journey.
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The cable theft comes after services were already disrupted due to two fatalities on rail lines in France on Tuesday, causing many trains and staff members to be out of position.
At least five services on its London-Paris route were cancelled on Wednesday, and seven others were delayed by around an hour.
The operator said it is handing out water to passengers onboard delayed trains, and has teams at stations to provide assistance.
Affected passengers are able to change their travel plans free of charge, or request a full refund.
Eurostar said in a statement: “We are deeply sorry to confirm that there were two separate fatalities on the LGV Nord high-speed line between Lille and Paris yesterday.
“Our thoughts are with the families and friends of those who lost their lives.
“The line was closed for much of the afternoon and evening, resulting in significant disruption to Eurostar services, including cancellations on routes to and from Paris.
“Trains on the London–Brussels–Amsterdam route continued to run with delays.
“This morning, disruption continues due to the knock-on impact of displaced trains and crew.
“Further to this, services have been further affected by an incident of cable theft on the same line near Lille.”
