Passengers stood in Paris Gare du Nord with their luggage on Friday morning, watching the departure boards fill with cancellations. An unexploded bomb from World War II had turned up near the tracks, and Eurostar trains to London, along with all services to northern France, stopped abruptly, officials said.
The device was found about 1.5 miles north of the station in Saint Denis, just north of Paris. That is where the Stade de France, the national stadium, stands, and where dozens of Olympic events were held last year, including the closing ceremonies.
France’s national rail operator SNCF gave the cause as an “intervention by law enforcement” after the bomb was discovered. In a statement it said: “Traffic is interrupted between Paris Gare du Nord and La Plaine Stade France in both directions and disrupted on the rest of the line. Traffic will not resume until mid-afternoon, after formal authorization from the authorities.” SNCF urged travelers to postpone their trips if possible.
How large the ordnance is, and how long it will take to clear the area before normal service returns, was not known.
Europe’s busiest station
By passenger numbers, Gare du Nord is the busiest railway station in Europe. It served over 211 million people in 2022 alone, so even a closure of a few hours spreads quickly through the network.
The closure hit international and regional travelers alike. Eurostar customers heading for London were left stranded, and trains toward northern France were held back. ABC News reporters in the station saw dozens of people waiting for word on when trains would run again.
