Seek your opinions - should i book Eurostar/train in advance

The Eurostar is powered by electricity.

There really is no knowing. Even if everyone were to get along tomorrow, fuel prices will not get back down to pre-war levels for a long time.

The main issue you sound like you are having is if you will decide to cancel your trip due to concerns that an extended fuel shortage will affect the quality of the trip, or do you have other concerns about how the shortage would affect the trip? Only you can make a decision on whether you are comfortable going. I doubt fuel shortages will severely affect train ticket prices or schedules, nearly all are electric trains, and while electrical generation can be affected, it is not as direct as gasoline, aviation fuel, and diesel prices.

Myself, I have a trip planned in mid-April/early May and another in mid-July/early August. I have flight tickets, rooms reserved for the most part, and am not having any qualms about going.

The further out you book a Eurostar ticket the cheaper it is: https://www.eurostar.com.

The Eurostar is powered by electricity.

Electricity is often generated by burning oil.

When are you planning to travel?

I'd say yes to going ahead and booking so you can pick your seats. I booked yesterday for a December trip and got in the single seats in Premium that I like. The price was such that if something happens to me between now and December it's a low enough expenditure that I can eat the cost with no problem if I have to cancel.

Will your Mom be with you? Unlike your other train experience you posted about, the Eurostar trains do sell out on the London-Paris route, at least.

I guess I'm wondering why you would cancel a trip? Are you planning to drive or will you do public transit?

Electricity is often generated by burning oil.

Not in Western Europe. Eurostar trains have been running on 100 per cent wind power in the Netherlands since 2017, with the UK figure at 40 per cent since 2023. In Belgium, the rail network has signed a MoU with to study the installation of solar projects to power trains, meanwhile using a combination of nuclear power, wind power and gas-fired power stations.

the vast majority of the electricity powering the Eurostar in France is nuclear.

I know Cornwall is a long way from the home counties and Cornish folk do things a little differently (my neighbour for 20 years was Cornish) but in this part of the UK much of the electricity feeding the Eurostar in England is wind and solar, gas making up the rest (with a tiny bit of nuclear).

No little oils are harmed in the running of the Eurostar.

It would have helped if you had stated when you plan to travel, and from where. Next month? 6 months from now? Next year?

Eurostar tickets are like plane tickets. The longer you wait to buy them, the more you will pay. If you buy your tickets now (assuming they are available for sale), then it doesnt really matter what is going on in the Middle East. You have your tickets. Unless of course you are in one of the countries that are totally dependant on Middle Eastern oil and will face fuel shortages so severe that airlines will stop flying out of your country. In that case, I would suggest you will have bigger problems than forfeiting the comparatively small cost of a train ticket.

The odds of the Eurostar not running due to power outages due to fuel shortages are miniscule.

Percent hydrocarbon electricity: UK 36%, France 5%, Belgium 25%, Netherlands 47%, Germany 41%. The biggest buyers of russian oil and natural gas in that group are France, German and Belgium which might be significant since Primorsk and Ust-Luga are fiery infernos right now (slava) so not much russian oil is being exported in the north Atlantic or Baltics.

None of us are experts in the subject. Unless you find a non-partisan (lots of luck) scholarly article on the subject that suggests otherwise I would suggest you buy early to secure the best ticket prices. I would also turn off your news feed until after you return. This sort of stuff on the news is to sell advertising and thats best done when you panic people. It has little to do with journalism.

https://www.businesstimes.com.sg/international/asean/philippines-says-grounding-planes-distinct-possibility

Eurostar doesnt go to the Philippines

Philippines says grounding planes a ‘distinct possibility’

I thought we were talking about trains versus planes?? Different animal. And Mr E is right: Eurostar doesn't serve the Philippines anyway so grounding planes there is a moot point in relation to trains in Europe.

Apparently the OP lives in the Philippines and is worried that he will be unable to fly out of there. Therefore is unsure if he should pay now for a Eurostar ticket that he may not be able to use. I suspect that an ESL difficulty may be at play in any lack of clarity here. In any case, it would help to know when this trip is supposed to start.

Mr É,
You should use a bit less AI when generating your answers... and, to be fair, you could also mention that you’re quoting figures from 2024.
Things are changing fast in Europe, and we Europeans have a well-founded aversion to fake news being spread from your continent.

Windham, you would serve yourself and your cause a bit more by replacing the misplaced anger with more current data.

France doesn't get much of its electricity from hydrocarbon, no. But it does get nearly 70% from nuclear. Electricity in France is so abundant that the past two years in a row, France has exported electricity.

https://www.statista.com/statistics/270367/share-of-nuclear-power-in-the-power-supply-of-selected-countries/?srsltid=AfmBOoqeO_M8lTQ7twjbTNwrzL0sYZsjz2Ar6aWiiILnVi5LYQmsgftq

I wish you success in all your travels, J@p28al

but when people write a lot of good information replying to your questions - we are all volunteers you know, no paid staff here - and you delete the thread, like your experiences on British trains, we are less eager to help. I know I am.

I write not only to help you but others in your shoes who come across the thread. If you have deleted it they can't benefit.

Good luck

Apparently the OP lives in the Philippines and is worried that he will
be unable to fly out of there.

Ah. I didn't get that impression but it could be the case, Cjean. J@p28al, please clear that up for us? As asked (but not answered) multiple times in a previous thread concerning your travel insurance, what passport are you traveling on and where are you coming from?

Kim, France should be a model for the world. They are about as close as you can get to non-carbon based energy and they have done it without wrecking the environment; not to mention that the lifecycle costs on those nuclear power plants is a fraction of that of some other froms of non-carbon energy. Best of all, no one can hold them an energy hostage. Very impressive.

Now, where is the OP from again?

Nigel, I get it, so I quit answering for the OPs. Now most of my answers are for others that might come along. Every once in a while I get a post or a PM from someone who read an answer to someone else a year ago and it helped them. Thats when I know the forum is working. What bugs me more is when they want help but they dont trust. "I am a citizen other than that of the country that I will be visiting. When I go there next year I will be staying in an accommodation that is convenient in my opinion. How long will it take to get through the airport and how do I get to my accomodation, and can I walk?"

https://www.businesstimes.com.sg/international/global/scramble-jet-fuel-shows-how-energy-shortages-are-rippling-across-asia
https://www.bangkokpost.com/world/3226093/air-travel-crisis-could-spread-beyond-asia
https://www.facebook.com/EUInstituteforSecStudies/videos/50-of-global-jet-fuel-come-from-the-gulf-the-war-in-the-middle-east-could-affect/26758007073792078/
https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/european-airlines-look-shake-off-green-agenda-fuel-prices-soar-2026-03-19/
https://www.theguardian.com/business/2026/mar/24/seven-charts-that-reveal-how-unprepared-australia-was-for-the-fuel-crisis
https://australianaviation.com.au/2026/03/australias-jet-fuel-supply-secure-for-now-says-transport-minister/
https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/australia-races-ease-fuel-supply-iran-war-brings-shortage-risk-2026-03-13/

I dunno why you assume that I'm from Philippines. I'm from Asia country.

The new article i stated earlier indicate the possibility that the government all over the world may consider grounding the airlines given the fuel shortage if the Straits of Hormuz is persistently closed to the world.

The jet fuel shortage affects not only Asia but also Australia.

I do not know that Eurostar use nuclear.

From the source: https://www.iea.org/news/new-iea-report-highlights-options-to-ease-oil-price-pressures-on-consumers-in-response-to-middle-east-supply-disruptions
The International Energy Agency (IEA) has advised the Australian Government to take drastic measures to reduce the demand on oil. The IEA’s 10 recommendations include promoting working from home and car-pooling, lowering highway speed limits, reducing air travel, and increasing public transport.

https://travelweekly.com.au/airlines-may-cut-flights-as-jet-fuel-crisis-bites-warns-the-australian-aviation-expert-robyn-ironside/

Apparently the OP lives in the Philippines and is worried that he will
be unable to fly out of there. Therefore is unsure if he should pay
now for a Eurostar ticket that he may not be able to use.

As said earlier, I'm not from Philippines. I state the news on Philippines which does not indicate that I'm from Philippines.
I stress the crucial of fuel shortage is related to air travel. Very important to know.
It's not just Philippines issue but worldwide issue.

What you said is correct - I'm not sure if I should book Eurostar ticket in advance which I may not be able to use due to grounded air travel.

Updates: https://www.ft.com/content/4951005c-359a-41c0-b062-8b4b86951c5d?syn-25a6b1a6=1
European jet fuel supplies under threat as Iran war halts flows

https://www.theguardian.com/business/2026/mar/25/europe-could-face-iran-war-fuel-rationing-by-april-warns-shell-boss
Europe could face fuel shortage by April as Iran throttles supplies, says Shell boss

https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/20/business/oil-jetfuel-asia.html
If You Want to Know What Happens in an Oil Crisis, Look at Asia