Major Disruption at Gare du Nord Following Discovery of WWII Bomb; Eurostar Services Cancelled

Paris, France – Rail traffic at Paris's Gare du Nord has been brought to a standstill on Friday, March 7th, following the discovery of an unexploded World War II bomb overnight. The device was located "in the middle of the tracks" in the Saint-Denis commune, according to SNCF.

The discovery has resulted in the complete suspension of all TGV, Eurostar, TER, and RER services in and out of the station. Philippe Tabarot, the Minister of Transport, stated on Sud Radio that "it's going to be heavily disrupted all day. The ideal would be to be able to restore traffic in a slightly degraded way from the afternoon." SNCF has confirmed on its website that "traffic resumption will not occur before mid-afternoon."

Eurostar has announced the cancellation of all its trains to and from Paris, impacting services between London-Paris, Paris-London, Brussels-Paris, and Paris-Brussels. However, Eurostar has clarified that "Brussels-Marne La Vallée, London-Brussels, and London-Amsterdam trains are running normally."

The security risk posed by the 500kg shell has led to widespread disruption across the rail network. RER B services are terminating at La Plaine Stade de France and Aulnay-sous-Bois, while RER D services are diverted to Stade de France Saint-Denis. Significant delays are also affecting lines K, H, and TER services. Trains to Lille, Dunkirk, and Valenciennes have been redirected to Gare de Lyon.

Passengers are being strongly advised to postpone their travel. SNCF's traffic information website urges travelers to "postpone your trip." Similarly, Eurostar's website advises passengers to "change your trip to another date," offering free ticket exchanges for travel on alternative dates or times within the same class, subject to availability.

The 500kg bomb was unearthed during overnight construction work on Rue du Président Wilson in La Plaine-Saint-Denis, approximately 2.5km from Gare du Nord. Investigations are underway to organize a controlled detonation of the device. A security perimeter is being established, according to police sources.