Eurostar train delayed in Channel Tunnel

(AP) — Eurostar was hit by new problems Thursday as a high-speed train traveling from Brussels to London was stuck in the Channel Tunnel for about two hours because of what the company called a technical problem.

The train was towed to a station in southern England, where passengers were transferred to another train that arrived about three hours late to London's St. Pancras station, a company spokesman said.

Eurostar said it was investigating the cause of the technical problem.

"It could be a number of factors, so we're looking into it as a matter of urgency," a company spokeswoman said on condition on anonymity, in line with company policy.

The breakdown caused delays Thursday across Eurostar's network, the only rail link between Britain and the European continent through the 32-mile (50-kilometer) long Channel Tunnel.

The spokeswoman said Eurostar was canceling its early morning and late evening trains until Sunday because of bad weather across northern Europe. Daytime trains will run as normal, she said, but she urged people whose travel was not essential to cancel or postpone their trips.

Late last month, Eurostar rail link came to a standstill for days because of train breakdowns that left thousands of passengers stranded for many hours in the tunnel beneath the English Channel. The breakdowns affected holiday travel plans for up to 40,000 passengers.

The company identified the problem as unusually dry, powdery snow that got into the trains' engines.

Britain and northern Europe this week have been experiencing a cold snap that has brought heavy snow to many areas.