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Eurostar trains between Paris and London have been canceled for the rest of the day after a World War II bomb near traces near Paris Gare Du Nord was found, the train operator said on Friday.
The bomb was found about 2.5 km from the center of the Parisian train on a northern outskirts of the city, Eurostar said. Train services will only resume after the device is cleared by bomb deposit experts.
All Eurostar trains inside and outside Paris on Friday have been canceled, the operator said, while regional and national services using Gare Du Nord have also been interrupted. Other Eurostar services that do not pass through the French capital function normally.
The SNCF, the national railway operator of France, said regional services will not resume until mid -Friday afternoon, pending approval by the authorities.
She said the 500kg bomb was discovered around 3:30 am with local time during railroad work in Saint-Denis, a northern suburb of the French capital.
Videos posted on social media showed long lines at Gare du Nord while Eurostar passengers were waiting for the revival trips.
“I just spent more time going from Charles de Gaulle (airport) to Gare du Nord than from Florence in Paris,” a user posted on X.
Cancellations come in a particularly busy time for Eurostar, as people go to Paris for Fashion Week, and others use the service to leave or return to the French capital for the weekend.
Eurostar joined Thalys, a company that serves France, Belgium, the Netherlands and Germany, to form the Eurostar Group in 2022. It is one of the largest high -speed rail operators in Europe and is expanding its fleet to serve the “great demand” for its services.
Chief executive Gwendoline Cazenave recently told the Financial Times that Eurostar was “definitely” taking into account the opening of new roads from London to Europe, in addition to its services between London, Paris, Amsterdam and Brussels.
