My friend and I suffered the Eurostar journey from hell on a two-day trip to Amsterdam in March. It started when we crossed the Belgian border and were told problems on the line required the power to be switched off. We sat motionless for four hours, then the train returned to Lille and were told that when the line reopened, the service would terminate in Brussels and passengers for Amsterdam would have to take an inter-city train unless they preferred to return to London.
At Brussels, we were held for another hour and, when we were finally allowed to disembark, there was utter chaos, with no Eurostar officials present. We eventually reached our hotel eight hours later than scheduled. Eurostar says the only compensation we are entitled to is 50% of the cost of the ticket or an e-voucher worth 75%. This is the same compensation offered to a passenger delayed by no more than two hours, and is entirely inadequate.
JS, London
