Eurostar services were disrupted on Tuesday after a train collided with a tractor trailer on a level crossing.
Video showed the moment the high-speed train - which is not run by Eurostar - hit the trailer, which appeared to have broken down on a railway crossing between Lille in France and Brussels.
Belgian news outlet VRT News reported two train passengers were injured.
Eurostar passengers travelling to and from London have been urged not to travel to avoid the chaos.
Eurostar said that part of the track between Lille and Brussels was shut following the crash, leaving “severe” delays and cancellations across its network.
It later said the track had opened again, and “minor” delays were persisting.
A spokesperson said: “Due to an external incident on the Belgian network, Eurostar trains between London and Brussels/Amsterdam have experienced some disruption today with delays.
@Eurostar This is appalling - complete lack of organisation or clear communication. Where are your staff? Security staff at Brussels station are having to try and placate the crowd of tired, frustrated and angry passengers who are having to stand for hours without any information pic.twitter.com/FIPInOokNG
— Harriet Yudkin (@HarrietYudkin) August 27, 2024
“There were some cancellations. The line has been reopened and our traffic is resuming with only small delays, no more cancellations.
“Eurostar asked people who are travelling the London route and able to reschedule their journey to travel another day, with an exchange or cancellation free of charge. Passengers have been informed.
“Trains between Amsterdam, Paris, Brussels and Cologne are not impacted.”
Passengers shared photos of huge crowds at Brussels station amid the disruption, where the scene was described as “chaos”, and Eurostar was accused of “dire” communication.
@Eurostar as you’ve know about the delays to your service for most of the day now. Why is Brussels a complete omnishambles?? ZERO ORGANISATION OF PASSENGERS AND EVEN LESS COMMUNICATION.
— Bruce Greig (@bruce_brick) August 27, 2024
So much so, Belgian TV have turned up to report on it. pic.twitter.com/OPXevVpGO7
Harriet Yudkin wrote on X: “This is appalling - complete lack of organisation or clear communication. Where are your staff? Security staff at Brussels station are having to try and placate the crowd of tired, frustrated and angry passengers who are having to stand for hours without any information.”
Bruce Greig described Brussels as “a complete omnishambles”, adding there was “zero organisation of passengers and even less communication”.
The Eurostar website showed at least four trains from Brussels to London St Pancras had been cancelled on Wednesday, while others had been delayed by as long as four hours.
