Eurostar cancels many London-Amsterdam trains after Rotterdam rail fire
Eurostar has canceled multiple London–Amsterdam services after a fire in a cable duct near Rotterdam Stadion caused a major power failure that shut down rail traffic south of Rotterdam. Power is expected to return on Thursday, with full restoration and testing to follow.
"We’re very sorry that, due to a fire near station Rotterdam Centraal, train services across the Netherlands are currently severely disrupted and extremely limited. As a result, our trains are subject to significant delays and cancellations, and we’re unfortunately unable to offer alternative travel options," Eurostar stated on its website.
The disruption began Monday when a fire broke out in a cable duct near Rotterdam Stadion. It triggered a power outage across key rail infrastructure in the Rotterdam area. The outage disabled signaling and switch systems between Rotterdam Centraal and destinations including Dordrecht and Breda. Rail traffic toward the Kijfhoek freight yard was also halted.
NS said the fire was likely caused by overheating in the cable duct. The operator initially expected repairs to take only through the day. ProRail later extended the timeline, with power restoration now expected on Thursday, July 2, at about 6:15 p.m.
ProRail reported extensive damage in the affected section. About 299 cables run through the cable duct. Around 100 cables must be repaired individually. The work includes sorting, welding, and testing each cable. A 20-meter stretch of infrastructure was heavily damaged. Five trains were briefly stranded in the affected zone before being cleared.
Replacement transport has been deployed. NS is running limited bus services between Rotterdam and Dordrecht and between Rotterdam and Zwijndrecht. Travelers heading to Breda are being advised to reroute via Utrecht or use replacement buses before continuing their journey.
Rotterdam Centraal saw large passenger crowds on Monday as cancellations spread across the network. Eurostar has advised passengers not to travel to or from the Netherlands until services are restored and stable.
