French strike hits Eurostar’s first ski trains of the season
Eurostar has been forced to change the departure times of its first ski trains of the season due to a national strike in France, which will cause some skiers to miss their first day on the slopes.
The night ski train, which was due to leave St Pancras at 19.45 tomorrow, arriving in resorts in the Alps early on Saturday morning, has been delayed until 07.19 on Saturday morning.
It now won’t arrive in Moutier in France until 15.44 and in Bourg St Maurice at 16.29, causing skiers to miss a day’s skiing.
The day ski train that was due to leave St Pancras at 09.45 on Saturday will now leave at the earlier time of 08.22.
Eurostar said the changes had been made due to the strike action in France leading to the closure of some railway lines in the Alps.
"These unavoidable changes ensure that both trains can still run by avoiding the line closures put in place by [French national railway] SNCF."
Passengers are being asked to arrive at the station two hours before the new departure time with their existing tickets.
"Please disregard the original times shown on printed or digital tickets and the times shown in Manage your booking online," Eurostar said in an online message.
Passengers who don’t want to travel at the new times can exchange their tickets free of change or request a full refund.
"Please be aware that there is very limited availability to exchange over the Christmas period. We are sorry for the impact this will have on your plans," added Eurostar.
Linsey McNeill
Editor Linsey McNeill has been writing about travel for more than three decades. Bylines include The Times, Telegraph, Observer, Guardian and Which? plus the South China Morning Post. She also shares insider tips on thetraveljournalist.co.uk
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