A World War II bomb paralyses Europe's busiest station
The discovery halts all trains at Paris' Gare du Nord, including Eurostars and international trains.
BarcelonaParis' Gare du Nord is completely paralysed on Friday because a bomb from the Second World War has been discovered. The shell, more than a metre long and intact, was found overnight "in the middle of the tracks" during work near Saint Denis. The Gare du Nord is the busiest in Europe with more than 600,000 passengers a day. It is the third busiest station in the world, according to Reuters. However, the authorities of the network were confident of being able to restore service this morning.
The disruption of traffic affects all high-speed trains, both national and international, including Eurostar in London, Brussels and Amsterdam, but also national ones. However, it has been reported that some trains will be able to leave from Lyon station.
Traffic on regional TER trains and RER commuter trains, which connect Paris with its suburbs, has also been severely affected. Several lines of the train pass through the station. Authorities have sent a bomb disposal team to neutralise the device, and traffic is expected to resume in the morning.
"Due to the discovery last night of an unexploded World War II bomb during work near Paris' Gare du Nord, traffic to and from Gare du Nord is suspended," said the account for X on the H Line train. The bomb was found 2.5 km from the station, in the middle of the train tracks, and traffic will continue to be disrupted until it is confirmed that it has been defused.
