As the sun set over the City of Light, a startling discovery brought the bustling Gare du Nord train station in Paris to a grinding halt. On the tracks leading to the station, a relic of a bygone era was unearthed – a World War II-era bomb, lying dormant and waiting to be discovered. The explosive device, which had been hidden in plain sight, sent shockwaves throughout the transportation hub, prompting an immediate shutdown of all train services.
According to officials, the bomb was found during routine maintenance work in the Saint-Denis suburb, and police were quickly summoned to the scene to defuse the explosive. The national railway company, SNCF, announced that the undiscovered bomb was situated “in the middle of the tracks,” and the RER B commuter rail service confirmed on social media that the device dated back to World War II. As a precautionary measure, SNCF suspended all services at the Gare du Nord station, including Eurostar trains, high-speed trains, and local trains, at the request of the authorities.
The disruption had a ripple effect on thousands of passengers, with 10 Eurostar trains canceled and all Paris-London services suspended until at least 12:09 pm local time. The Gare du Nord, located in the heart of northern Paris, is the busiest train station in France, catering to approximately 700,000 passengers daily. In fact, according to Eurostar, it is the most frequented train station in Europe, serving 214 million passengers annually.
While unexploded ordnance from World War I and II is not uncommon in France, finding such devices in densely populated areas is a rare occurrence. The incident serves as a poignant reminder of the region’s tumultuous past and the importance of vigilant maintenance and safety protocols in preventing such disruptions. As the situation returns to normal, commuters and travelers can breathe a sigh of relief, grateful for the swift action of authorities in defusing the bomb and restoring order to one of Europe’s busiest transportation hubs.
Sources:
FRANCE 24
