Eurostar running special timetable and reduced hours due to national rail strike impact
Eurostar is having to run a special timetable and reduced hours on UK rail lines as a result of national rail strikes.
The route between London and the continent said its changes were announced last week, and there had been no unplanned disruption.
This comes as more than 40,000 members of RMT working for Network Rail and 14 other operators walked in a dispute over job cuts and salaries.
A Eurostar spokesperson said: “Although the strike does not involve Eurostar staff, it has impacted on our timetable as running hours have been reduced on UK rail lines, including the high-speed line we use.
“This means we’ll be running a reduced timetable on 27 and 28 July. Customers travelling on cancelled services between the 27 and 28 July have been contacted with the option of a free exchange or a refund of their journey. “
Many Brits have turned to Eurostar and short-haul flights to get away for their holidays, amid long queues at ports due to staff shortages at passport offices.
This comes after Eurostar was forced to scrap two morning services on Monday causing disruption for hundreds of passengers. They were cancelled after parts of the French high-speed line were down due to a broken down train.
Eurostar advised customers to check revised timetables to see “if your train is cancelled or the departure and arrival times” range.
It said any passengers who were caught up in cancellations could exchange a booking for free or cancel the booking and claim either a bouncer or refund.
The service also warned that there may be disruption on 28 July when further strike action takes place, in addition to 18 and 20 August.