Eurostar Services Suspended, Thousands Stranded as Mine Clearance at Gare du Nord Station in Paris Causes Travel Chaos
Thousands of passengers in France and the United Kingdom have been left stranded after a World War II bomb was discovered on tracks leading to Gare du Nord, a major train station in Paris.
Eurostar, the operator of high-speed trains connecting key European cities, announced on Friday the cancellation of all services to and from its hub in the French capital. A spokesperson for France’s national rail operator, SNCF, stated that the unexploded bomb was found during construction work near Gare du Nord station. Services will only resume once French police complete mine clearance operations, the spokesperson added.
Gare du Nord is a crucial European transit hub, serving international destinations north of France, including London, Brussels, the Netherlands, and major Paris airports, as well as numerous regional destinations. The bomb was discovered around 4:00 AM (03:00 GMT) by workers conducting earth-moving activities near the tracks in the Seine-Saint-Denis area. Minesweepers were dispatched to the site, and their operation is still ongoing.
French Transport Minister Philippe Tabarot anticipated that disruptions would continue for at least the remainder of the day. While remnants of World War I and II are frequently found in France, such discoveries in densely populated areas like Paris are rare.
‘Options Limited’
The impact of the disruption extended beyond France’s borders. In Brussels, trains to Paris were canceled until at least Friday afternoon. Michel Garrot, a retired Parisian visiting the Belgian capital, told The Associated Press, “There’s no solution. We’re going to call the hotel and stay one more day and change our train ticket.”
In London’s St Pancras station, travelers eager to explore Paris found their plans disrupted. “We’re looking up flights, but our options are limited,” passenger Lauren Romeo-Smith told AP. Similarly, in Paris, Kasman Ibrahimi, who had planned to travel to Cologne, Germany, told Reuters he would now seek an alternative route.
According to SNCF, Gare du Nord typically handles 700,000 passengers daily, making it the busiest rail hub in Europe. The incident has caused widespread travel chaos, with many left scrambling to rearrange their plans.
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