France: Calais Bomb Alert Delays Eurostar Trains as Hoax Threats Sweep Europe

November 12, 2026

A bomb alert at Calais-Fréthun station in northern France halted rail traffic for about an hour and a half on the morning of Thursday, November 12, delaying Eurostar trains between London, Paris, Brussels and Amsterdam. The Pas-de-Calais prefecture said the situation was resolved before noon. Calais-Fréthun sits on the high-speed line less than 10 km from the French end of the Channel Tunnel, so Eurostar trains pass through it even though they no longer stop there.

What happened

• The prefecture announced the alert at about 8:40 a.m. UK time (9:40 a.m. in France). Traffic restarted at 11:18 a.m. local time.
• Delayed trains included the 9:01 a.m. St Pancras–Brussels, the 9:10 a.m. and 10:10 a.m. Paris–St Pancras, and later the 12:31 p.m. and 1:31 p.m. St Pancras–Paris departures. At least three Amsterdam–London trains were also hit.
• Eurostar reported delays of 30 to 60 minutes; Dutch media reported up to 90. Long queues built up at St Pancras.

A wider wave of hoaxes

The alert follows more than a week of bomb threats across Europe. Italy’s government said 1,803 schools received threatening emails on November 12, and schools in Scotland and Northern Ireland were also targeted this week. Threats last week targeted dozens of European flights, including two KLM flights. It was not clear whether the Calais alert was linked.

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What it means for airline travelers

• If you are connecting from a London or Paris flight to Eurostar, leave at least a few hours of buffer. Security alerts can stop the line with no warning.
• Hoax threats have also targeted flights. Expect extra checks and possible delays, and keep your standby plans flexible.
• Check Eurostar and SNCF status apps on the morning of travel.

Sources

• NL Times: Bomb threat at French train station disrupts Eurostar trains; Delays up to 90 minutes
• Yahoo News UK: Bomb threat sparks Eurostar delays and long queues at London St Pancras International
• Insurance Business UK: Bomb alert at Calais-Fréthun disrupts Eurostar services
• The Jerusalem Post: Bomb alert at Calais-Fréthun station in northern France halts Eurostar trains to London