Eurostar trains to and from London, as well as other services heading north from Paris, were suspended on Friday after an unexploded World War II bomb was discovered near the tracks leading to the busy Gare du Nord station in the French capital.
France’s national railway company, SNCF, stated in a press release that traffic was halted at the request of the police.
French Transport Minister Philippe Tabarot warned that train service would be “heavily disrupted” throughout the day, with limited operations resuming in the afternoon. He urged travelers to postpone their journeys.
The bomb was discovered around 4 a.m. by workers carrying out excavation work in the Seine-Saint-Denis region, near the tracks. Specialized teams were deployed to the site and were still working to neutralize the explosive. Many travelers had already arrived at the station when it opened on Friday.
Gare du Nord is a major European transport hub, offering international connections to northern France, Brussels, and the Netherlands, as well as routes to Paris’s main airport and various regional destinations.
Although finding bombs from the two world wars is common in France, it is rare for them to be discovered in such busy areas.
Speaking to Sud Radio, Tabarot reassured residents and those near train stations that there was no need to fear an explosion, emphasizing the strict procedures in place to defuse and remove such devices.
Eurostar, which operates passenger trains through the Channel Tunnel linking the UK and the European continent, canceled all Friday morning services between London and Paris and advised customers to reschedule their trips.
Friday is one of the busiest days of the week at Eurostar’s London terminal, St. Pancras, with thousands of people traveling for weekend getaways.
