Trains on the Brussels to Paris line are facing major delays after a break to an overhead power wire on Wednesday morning impacted services throughout the day.
Major delays have been announced until 18:00 on the line, with trains currently showing delays of over 60 minutes, according to the Thalys website. At Midi station, the delay is understood to have caused major disruptions, as people tried to work out alternative routes to take.
"The station is incredibly hot, and people are standing around trying to work out what to do next, while Thalys staff try and help people," said a Brussels Times reporter on the scene.
The issues were caused after an overhead power wire was ripped off by the Eurostar's pantograph (a jointed framework conveying a current to a train, tram from overhead wires), the rail infrastructure manager Infrabel said in a statement.
The current on the line consequently had to be cut off. The incident is currently causing delays of one to two hours for other company trains that typically use this line. The Thalys, TGV and Eurostar traffic between Brussels and Paris has been interrupted.
Jules Johnston
The Brussels Times
