Paris transport chaos ending after unexploded WWII bomb disposal operation
The unexploded bomb dating back to World War II was discovered near tracks serving Paris’ busy Gare du Nord station
A French government official said on Friday that train services will gradually resume and roads will reopen after the disposal operation of an unexploded World War II bomb caused transportation chaos in Paris on Friday, including the suspension of high-speed train links with London and Brussels.
Transport Minister Philippe Tabarot said the successful operation required the mobilisation of 300 police officers.
“We’re delighted and relieved that all this has come to an end,” he said.
The cascade of transport woes first hit morning rush-hour train services before also spreading to the road network, with Paris police closing the A1 highway that feeds into the north of the city, as well as sections of the capital’s always-busy ring road, as the bomb-disposal operation dragged on.
Eurostar, operator of sleek high-speed trains through the Channel Tunnel that joins England with the European continent, announced the cancellation of all its services linking its Paris hub at Gare du Nord, France’s busiest rail station, to the UK and Belgian capitals. Scores of commuter, regional and high-speed trains between Paris and towns and cities in northern France were also cancelled.
Gabrielle Cotton, a tourist from the US state of Missouri, was travelling by train from Amsterdam in the Netherlands to Paris but got no further than Brussels.