Cable theft in north France disrupts Eurostar traffic

The theft of cables along train tracks in northern France on Wednesday disrupted Eurostar trips between London and Paris for a second day in a row, the company and French railway operator said.

Overnight, "more than 600 metres (650 yards) of cable were stolen or severed south of the Lille Europe station" on the way between the two capitals, French railway operator SNCF said.

"The impact is essentially on high-speed train traffic," it added.

Around 15 workers, including cable layers, were dispatched to solve the issue, but repairs were expected to take a good part of the day, the operator added.

In Lille's southern district of Mont-de-Terre, AFP saw workers in orange vests placing cables back along the railway.

They worked to reconnected dozens of multicoloured cables one by one inside thick tubes.

Contacted by AFP, the police did not immediately provide more details on the cable theft.

The Eurostar website showed that six trips between London and Paris -- three in each direction -- were cancelled on Wednesday, while other trains were still expected to run.

Several trips between London and Brussels were delayed.

"Due to a cable theft near Lille Europe, our trains are likely to be subject to severe delays and last-minute cancellations," Eurostar said, advising passengers to cancel or postpone their trip free of charge.

It was the second day of disruptions after "two persons struck by trains near Lille Europe" upset traffic on Tuesday evening.

Eurostar spokeswoman Juliette Clement told AFP trains were for the moment "being redirected via secondary routes, which increases travel times".

Several passengers took to X to vent their frustration.

"My journey out was cancelled due to 'technical difficulties'. Return now cancelled due to a fatality," one user who appeared to be in Paris wrote on Tuesday evening.

"My rescheduled train is cancelled again. No seats today Paris to London," they added in a new post on Wednesday morning.

SNCF said around 10 high-speed train trips between Lille and the French capital had also been cancelled.

At the train station in Lille, 51-year-old Belgian holidaymaker Marie-Line Ponville was deeply disappointed.

She and her daughter had been planning to board a ship in Marseille for a week-long cruise around the Mediterranean but look likely to miss the boat's departure.

"We can't even stay here as we packed our bags for somewhere sunny. I think we will just cancel and go home," she said.

Source: AFP