Channel Tunnel disruption affects Eurostar and vehicle shuttle between France and England

PARIS (AP) — Power problems and a stuck train interrupted rail services through the undersea Channel Tunnel connecting the United Kingdom and continental Europe on Tuesday, operators said, stranding passengers during the busy end-of-year holidays.

At Paris' Gare du Nord station, Jamie and Issy Gill scrambled to find a flight back to the U.K. after their Eurostar train to London was canceled, desperate to be reunited with their baby boy after a getaway in the French capital.

“We came for my 30th birthday,” Issy Gill said, wiping away tears.

Jamie Gill said they'd take a roundabout route back, with a flight via Birmingham on Wednesday.

Eurostar — which runs passenger trains between London and Paris and other European destinations — blamed “overhead power supply issues in the Channel Tunnel” and a failure aboard a train operated by LeShuttle, which transports vehicles and their passengers between the ports of Calais, France, and Folkestone, England.

On Tuesday afternoon, Eurostar said the tunnel was partially reopening but with only one of its two train lines, allowing Eurostar services to resume in the evening — although with expected continued delays and longer journey times than usual. It advised passengers to rebook their journeys on other days.

The 50-kilometer (32-mile) Channel Tunnel, more than half of it undersea, has revolutionized U.K.-Europe rail travel since its inauguration in 1994. But because it’s the only fixed cross-English Channel rail link, train services tend to be vulnerable to severe disruptions.

The Gare du Nord station heaved with frustrated passengers trying to book plane or bus tickets.

“I’m disgusted, disheartened,” said Sarah Omouri, a French traveler whose plans to celebrate the New Year in London were dashed.

“It’s been maybe a year since we’ve had a vacation,” she said. “We were made to get on the train, to get off, get on again, and get off again. Now we’re told that everything is fully booked for several days. It's ruined.”

In London, would-be traveler John Paul had expected to enjoy a romantic river cruise in Paris and a trip to the Eiffel Tower with his partner, Lucy, but their Eurostar got turned back before reaching the continent.

“We got probably about an hour down the track, maybe 40 minutes, and then they basically said the train’s got to stop, because the train ahead got a braking issue,” the 46-year-old Paul said.

“They kept telling us that the driver was trying to fix the brakes on this other train and that the other trains were then backed up," he said. "There’s no clear information and, obviously, we’ve lost a lot of money, haven’t we?”

The Channel Tunnel's operator, Eurotunnel, said that the power supply problem started overnight Monday in part of the tunnel, impacting passenger and vehicle travel by rail in both directions.

Associated Press writers Sylvie Corbet in Paris and Danica Kirka in London contributed to this report.

Travellers wait for Eurostar services at St Pancras International station in London, Tuesday, Dec. 30, 2025. (AP Photo/Alberto Pezzali)

Travelers wait at the Gare du Nord station after an incident related to the power supply to trains occurred last night in part of the Channel Tunnel, affecting train and shuttle traffic. Tuesday, Dec. 30, 2025 in Paris. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena)

Travellers queue for Eurostar services at St Pancras International station in London, Tuesday, Dec. 30, 2025 after Eurostar asked train customers not to travel because of disruption in the Channel Tunnel. (AP Photo/Alberto Pezzali)

The screen board displays the trains' arrival status at St Pancras International train station in London, Tuesday, Dec. 30, 2025 after Eurostar asked train customers not to travel because of disruption in the Channel Tunnel. (AP Photo/Alberto Pezzali)

Travelers queue for Eurostar services at St Pancras International station in London, Tuesday, Dec. 30, 2025. (AP Photo/Alberto Pezzali)

Passengers queue to enter the Eurotunnel site in Folkestone in Kent, England, Tuesday, Dec. 30, 2025. (Gareth Fuller/PA via AP)

FILE - A train coming from London leaves the Northbound Channel tunnel in Calais, northern France, on Jan. 31, 2020. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus, File)

TOKYO (AP) — Asian markets that were open for trading mostly rose Monday, as investors continued to closely watch the war in Iran, soaring oil prices and what President Donald Trump might say next.

Japan's benchmark Nikkei 225 rose 0.7% to 53,514.39 in afternoon trading. South Korea's Kospi gained 1.4% to 5,450.33. Trading was closed in Australia for Easter, and in Hong Kong and Shanghai for a traditional Chinese holiday.

Trump threatened to hit Iran’s critical infrastructure hard if the country’s government doesn’t reopen the Strait of Hormuz by his Tuesday deadline. But there was no sign Iran was easing its closure of the strait crucial to global oil supplies.

The market is keeping focused on oil prices.

Benchmark U.S. crude lost 42 cents to $111.12 a barrel. Brent crude, the international standard, added 64 cents to $109.67 a barrel. Energy markets were closed Friday, but the prices have been surging lately on fears that the Iran war will drag on longer than expected.

The U.S. relies on the Persian Gulf for only a fraction of the oil it imports, but oil is a commodity and prices are set in a global market. Some nations, like resource-poor Japan, import a large portion of their energy needs and rely heavily on access to the Strait of Hormuz.

Japan's Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi told lawmakers recently that Japan was releasing its reserves and was working on alternative routes. South Korea's trade ministry said it plans to send at least five ships to Saudi Arabi in the coming weeks to establish new oil transport routes in the Red Sea.

“As we kick off the first full trading week of April, the word uncertainty is paramount. Last year it was centered on the impact of ‘Liberation Day’ tariffs, this year it's uncertainty surrounding the ongoing Iranian War,” said Jay Woods, analyst at Freedom Capital Markets in New York.

U.S. markets were closed for Good Friday and will reopen Monday. Some markets in Europe also did not trade on Friday.

In currency trading, the U.S. dollar inched down to 159.56 Japanese yen Monday from 159.63. The euro cost $1.1523, up from $1.1517.

Associated Press writers Kim Tong-Hyung in Seoul and Matt Ott in Washington contributed to this report.

Yuri Kageyama is on Threads: https://www.threads.com/@yurikageyama

U.S. President Donald Trump is seen on a screen as traders work at the foreign exchange dealing room of the Hana Bank headquarters in Seoul, South Korea, Monday, April 6, 2026. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)

Currency traders watch monitors at the foreign exchange dealing room of the Hana Bank headquarters in Seoul, South Korea, Monday, April 6, 2026. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)