Thousands stranded as WWII bomb halts traffic at Paris train station
PARIS
Thousands of passengers in Paris and London were stranded on March 7 after the discovery of a World War II bomb on tracks leading to the Gare du Nord station halted traffic at France's busiest railway terminus.
All traffic to the train station, which serves international, high-speed and local connections, was halted as police worked to disable the device. All Eurostar trains in Paris were canceled.
The unexploded bomb was found "in the middle of the tracks" about 2.5 kilometers from the station overnight during maintenance work carried out in the northern Paris suburb of Saint Denis, the national SNCF rail company said.
The bomb "dates back to World War II," the RER B suburban train, whose trains from Gare du Nord heading towards Charles de Gaulle airport have also been suspended, wrote in a post on X.
The Gare du Nord station lies in the north of the French capital and is the country's busiest train hub, hosting the Eurostar trains in addition to regional and suburban service, according to the SNCF.
Many passengers could not mask their irritation at the sudden change of plans.
"I've been waiting since 6 a.m. for an RER to Goussainville," said 55-year-old Corinne Schiavenato, referring to a town north of Paris.
"I tried to take a replacement bus but it's impossible, too many passengers, they're packed. I'm self-employed, I have a client who has been waiting for me since 7 a.m."
Transport Minister Philippe Tabarot warned that rail traffic at Gare du Nord would remain "heavily disrupted all day" on March 7, which usually sees an increase in commuters due to weekend travel.
Speaking to broadcaster Sud Radio, Tabarot called on travelers to "avoid going to the station" and postpone their trips.
Eurostar urged passengers to change their journey "for a different date."
Eurostar canceled all its trains leaving from or heading to Paris.
Its services from London to Brussels and London to Amsterdam, which do not go via Paris, were running normally, it added.
