As the New Year unfolds, travel plans for thousands of Brits have been thrown into disarray, with widespread train cancellations and severe flooding disrupting services.

According to Mirror UK, Eurostar, a key player in cross-border rail travel, has canceled around twenty services to and from major European destinations, including Paris, Amsterdam, and Brussels.

This abrupt decision has left many passengers stranded, desperately seeking alternatives to continue their journeys.

Adding to the turmoil, Southeastern Railway has suspended all services between Ebbsfleet International in Kent and London St Pancras International until noon.

The root cause of this disruption is the extensive flooding inside the railway tunnel, as starkly depicted in images shared by Southeastern railway.

This flooded tunnel is a critical segment of the high-speed rail line connecting St Pancras International to Ebbsfleet and Ashford, and efforts to clear it are still underway.

The unexpected flooding caught both travelers and authorities off guard.

Simon Calder, travel editor for The Independent, expressed stating, “Didn’t see this one coming at al

We had some warnings yesterday afternoon that there were going to be problems because one of the tunnels beneath the Thames…was blocked because of flooding.

“And at 4am this morning there was an announcement that both tunnels were blocked and there would be no trains initially this morning. Eurostar have so far cancelled ten trains.”London St Pancras International, a major rail hub, was described as being “in chaos” by Calder, who shared visuals on social media illustrating the disruption at the station.

In response to the anticipated travel issues over the weekend, passengers with tickets for December 31 were advised to use them on Friday. Several rail operators, including Northern Rail, LNER, Avanti West Coast, and London Northwestern Railway, have cautioned travelers to brace for disruptions and possible last-minute cancellations.

This travel debacle coincides with adverse weather conditions in the UK, marking a wet and windy end to the year. The Met Office has issued eight weather warnings, and there are over one hundred flood warnings and alerts across the country.

Amid the chaos, a Eurostar representative addressed the situation, acknowledging the cancellations and delays.

“Eurostar services to and from London are being cancelled and there are severe delays to services due to infrastructure issues caused by flooding in one of the Thames tunnels located between St Pancras International and Ebbsfleet. Eurostar is working with Network Rail to keep customers updated. The safety and security of our customers are of the highest importance to us,” the representative said