Paris, France — Traffic at Paris’s Gare du Nord, the busiest rail terminal in France, was brought to an abrupt halt on Friday after workers discovered an unexploded World War II bomb on tracks leading to the station.
The unexpected find, made around 4 a.m. during earth-moving work near the tracks in the Seine-Saint-Denis region, prompted swift action from authorities to secure the area and prevent potential casualties.
Specialized minesweepers were immediately dispatched to the site, and their operation to disable the device was still ongoing as of midday.
The RER B suburban train service confirmed the nature of the discovery in a post on X (formerly Twitter), stating that the bomb “dated to the Second World War.”
The incident caused significant disruption to rail services, with the national SNCF rail company issuing a statement that traffic would remain suspended at the station until mid-morning at the request of police.
French Transport Minister Philippe Tabarot warned that services would be “strongly disrupted” throughout the day, urging travelers to delay their journeys if possible.
Eurostar Services Impacted
The discovery also forced Eurostar to cancel all its services to and from Paris for the day. The high-speed train operator announced that all connections between Paris and major destinations such as London and Brussels were affected.
However, Eurostar’s services from London to Brussels and from London to Amsterdam, which bypass Paris, continued to operate as scheduled.
“Traffic is completely halted to and from (Paris) Gare du Nord. As a result, all Eurostar trains are cancelled to and from Paris today,” Eurostar stated.
The cancellation stranded numerous passengers and caused congestion at alternative transport hubs across the city.
An Unusual Find in a Crowded Hub
Gare du Nord, located in the north of Paris, is the busiest rail station in France, serving approximately 700,000 passengers daily.
It hosts not only Eurostar trains but also a mix of high-speed TGV services and local commuter lines, making the disruption particularly significant.
While it is not uncommon for unexploded ordnance from World War I and World War II to be discovered across France, such finds are rare in heavily trafficked urban areas like Gare du Nord.
The origins of the device and how it remained undetected for so long are still under investigation.
Security protocols around the station were intensified following the discovery, with local authorities setting up a perimeter to prevent any risks to public safety.
Bomb disposal experts were working meticulously to defuse the device without causing any collateral damage.
As of Friday afternoon, limited train services had started to resume, but officials cautioned that full operations were unlikely to return until late evening.
Commuters were advised to check for updates and seek alternative routes if possible. The incident serves as a stark reminder of the lingering dangers of unexploded wartime ordnance in Europe, even nearly eight decades after the end of World War II.
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