Eurostar cancelled all its high-speed trains to and from Paris' Gare du Nord on Friday following the discovery of a World War II war bomb last night on the tracks in the commune of Saint-Denis, the operator announced.
Gare du Nord station serves trains from Belgium, Germany, the Netherlands and the UK. Affected passengers can exchange their tickets for another day free of charge, subject to availability, announced Eurostar.
As no TGV, RER, or TER trains are operating either, train traffic at the station is currently heavily disrupted but may resume from 16:00, said French Transport Minister Philippe Tabarot in a press briefing.
"If safety is assured and we get the green light from the police prefect in the coming hours, partial service could – and I emphasise 'could' – be restored from 16:00," he said. "If the bomb disposal operations are much longer and more complicated, we may have to wait until the evening or, more likely, tomorrow morning. We will know more in a few hours."
500 trains affected
Earlier on Friday, French rail company SNCF announced that train traffic would not resume until the mine clearance operations were completed, advising customers to postpone their travel. Initially, SNCF also communicated that trains were being rerouted via Marne-la-Vallée, but Eurostar has clarified that this is not the case.
The interruption was ordered by the Paris police prefecture after the unexploded bomb was found overnight during pre-construction work near Gare du Nord, SNCF said in a statement. The regional RER B line’s X account reported that the object is a "Second World War-era shell."
"Around 500 trains have been affected, which is a particularly significant number," Tabarot added.
"I have also spoken several times with the police prefect overseeing the bomb disposal, who reassures us about the operation. They are taking all necessary precautions, including evacuating a wide perimeter. The situation is under control, but it's not trivial."
This photograph taken on October 7, 2023, shows the facade of Paris' Gare du Nord station. Credit: Belga
The bomb disposal of the "500-kilo bomb" found 2.5 km from Gare du Nord may also impact road traffic, particularly on the ring road and the motorway, which may be closed for short periods throughout the day, according to Tabarot. The police confirmed that a segment of the ring road is being closed.
Gare du Nord is the busiest station in France, with approximately 300 million travellers per year and one of the busiest train stations in the world.
In addition to numerous trains from the Paris suburbs and northern France, the station serves many high-speed trains from Belgium, Germany, England and the Netherlands, such as the Eurostar.
On Saturday, Eurostar is expecting "normal traffic" between London, Brussels and Paris, the operator announced on Friday afternoon.
This article was updated to include the latest statements by the French Transport Minister.
