Blessing Hagomel when traveling by Eurostar

Hi I just got back to England from touring Europe and I crossed the British channel by Eurostar. My question is now that I got back do I have to recite the "Gomel" blessing since I crossed the sea or is traveling by train different?

Thank you for your question.

The Shulchan Aruch, (Orach Chaim, Siman 219), writes that a person who returns from an overseas trip should praise Hashem for his safe arrival. (If he is on a long trip with stops at various ports, one only recites the blessing upon arriving at his final destination). This is the way we recognize Hashem's kindness in saving us from the dangers of the sea.

It is important to note that in the times of the Beis Hamikdosh, one would not only recite the blessing upon arrival but would also travel to the Beis Hamikdosh and bring a sacrifice of either a bull, sheep, or goat, called a korban Todah (thanksgiving offering), along with no fewer than forty loaves of bread. Only a small part of the animal was sacrificed on the altar, and four loaves were given to the Cohanim. The rest of the animal and the bread would then be eaten by the owner within that day and the following night. Of course, he would not be able to eat it all by himself, so he would invite a lot of people, and they would join him in the feast. This would then be an opportunity for him to publicly praise Hashem and retell the kindness of how Hashem helped him survive his journey. It was a great kiddush Hashem. However, nowadays we don’t have the opportunity to bring a Thanksgiving offering in Jerusalem. We do however, praise Hashem by publicly reciting the blessing of Hagomel.

It wasn’t only a person who returned from overseas, but this also applies to people who may have been released from jail, recovered from illness, or crossed deserts. Each one of these categories would have to be analyzed to determine under what exact circumstances one would need to recite the Hagomel blessing. Since your question is about returning from returning from overseas we will concentrate on that Halacha.

the Halacha to recite Hagomel when returning from overseas is from Tehilim (Chapter 107).

(כג) יוֹרְדֵי הַיָּם בָּאֳנִיּוֹת עֹשֵׂי מְלָאכָה בְּמַיִם רַבִּים: (כד) הֵמָּה רָאוּ מַעֲשֵׂי ה' וְנִפְלְאוֹתָיו בִּמְצוּלָה: (כה) וַיֹּאמֶר וַיַּעֲמֵד רוּחַ סְעָרָה וַתְּרוֹמֵם גַּלָּיו: (כו) יַעֲלוּ שָׁמַיִם יֵרְדוּ תְהוֹמוֹת נַפְשָׁם בְּרָעָה תִתְמוֹגָג: (כז) יָחוֹגּוּ וְיָנוּעוּ כַּשִּׁכּוֹר וְכָל חָכְמָתָם תִּתְבַּלָּע: (כח) וַיִּצְעֲקוּ אֶל ה' בַּצַּר לָהֶם וּמִמְּצוּקֹתֵיהֶם יוֹצִיאֵם: (כט) יָקֵם סְעָרָה לִדְמָמָה וַיֶּחֱשׁוּ גַּלֵּיהֶם: (ל) וַיִּשְׂמְחוּ כִי יִשְׁתֹּקוּ וַיַּנְחֵם אֶל מְחוֹז חֶפְצָם: (לא) יוֹדוּ לַה' חַסְדּוֹ וְנִפְלְאוֹתָיו לִבְנֵי אָדָם (לב) וִירֹמְמוּהוּ בִּקְהַל עָם וּבְמוֹשַׁב זְקֵנִים יְהַלְלוּהוּ

Those who sail out to sea on ships, conducting trade on vast waters, they witness the acts of Hashem and His wonders in the ocean depths. He gives the command and stirs up stormy winds that lift the waves high. They soar up to the heavens, then plunge to the depths, and their souls melt away in distress. They reel and stagger like drunkards, completely at their wits' end. Then, in their trouble, they cry out to Hashem, and He rescues them from their distress. He quiets the storm to a whisper, and the waves of the sea are hushed. They rejoice because the waters are calm; He leads them to the port they've been hoping for. Let them give thanks to the Hashem for His unfailing love and His wonderful deeds for humanity. Let them exalt Him in the gathering of the people and praise Him in the assembly of the elders.

Dovid Hamelech describes the dangers of crossing the sea: the strong winds, the high waves, the worry, and the distress. One might ask, should I therefore only say the Hagomel blessing if I had a very difficult journey? For example, if the trip was peaceful and there was no turbulence, does one still need to recite Hagomel? The Bi'ur Halacha (Siman 219) explains that since one was traveling in a situation where these dangers could have occurred, that alone is a reason to recite the Hagomel blessing.

According to the above, when one was traveling on the Eurostar, there wasn’t even a possibility of the dangers mentioned above in Tehilim 107, such as high waves and strong winds. Therefore, it is not appropriate to recite the blessing of Hagomel upon arriving.

The above answer is according to the Ashkenazi custom. According to the Sephardi custom as long as one is traveling for 72 minutes then one does recite the Gomel blessing, so in your case if your trip by train to London was longer than 72 minutes then you would have to recite the “Birchat Hagomel”.