Trains stopped, passengers stranded: How unexploded World War II bomb caused travel chaos in Europe

Train services came to a standstill, leaving thousands of passengers stranded after a 500-kilogram World War II bomb was found near Paris’ central Gare du Nord station.

This was one of the biggest rail disruptions in the French capital in recent years.

The incident affected commuter trains as well as national and international services, including Eurostar routes.

Authorities immediately set up a security perimeter, causing intercity and suburban lines from Gare du Nord to be suspended.

Notably, even decades after the war, bombs from the First and Second World Wars continue to be discovered across France.

But how was this bomb found, and what impact did it have on rail services? How are WWII bombs still being discovered across Europe and continuing to disrupt people’s daily lives?

Let’s take a look:

Where and how was the bomb found?

The World War II bomb was discovered along railway tracks leading to Gare du Nord station.

Paris police stated that the device was found at 4 am on Friday (local time) by workers near the tracks in Saint-Denis, approximately 2.5 km from Gare du Nord.

According to SNCF, France’s state-owned railway company, the bomb was located in the middle of the tracks at a construction site where a railway bridge was being replaced, CNN reported.

Weighing 500 kg, including 200 kg of explosives, the device was buried 2 metres underground in an area known for remnants from the Second World War, The Guardian reported.

Once the bomb was found, maintenance work was stopped and minesweepers were called in. The security perimeter was expanded to 1 km on Friday morning, though no residential evacuations were required.

Matthieu Chabanel, head of SNCF Reseau’s rail infrastructure management unit, described finding a bomb of this size as “really quite exceptional.”

The disruptions caused at busy Paris hub by the bomb

The discovery of the bomb near the railway tracks impacted high-speed train connections between Paris, London, and Brussels on Friday, which affected weekend travel plans and caused widespread delays across intercity and commuter services at Gare du Nord, France’s busiest railway station.

All train traffic to and from Gare du Nord, which serves international routes to London and mainland Europe, as well as high-speed and local services, was suspended as authorities worked to disable the device.

Each year, approximately 220 million passengers pass through Gare du Nord, travelling between northern France, London, Belgium, the Netherlands, and Germany, according to the Paris tourist office.

Eurostar, which operates high-speed services between the UK and the continent, cancelled all its trains to and from Gare du Nord, as well as those connecting Paris with London and Brussels.

As part of the security measures, homes within a 500-metre (1,600-foot) radius of the bomb were evacuated, and a section of the Paris ring road (périphérique) was closed while the operation took place.

French Transport Minister Philippe Tabarot confirmed that train services were “completely blocked” on Friday morning (local time), affecting suburban, regional, and international routes.

In a statement, SNCF said, “Traffic has been completely interrupted since this morning to and from Gare du Nord at the request of the Paris Police Prefecture.”

At Gare du Nord, normally filled with commuters, bright red signs warned passengers of major disruptions. The station, a key hub for connections to northern France, Charles de Gaulle Airport, and international destinations, saw travel plans thrown into disarray.

Meanwhile, at London’s St Pancras station, travellers scrambled for alternative options. Fridays are among the busiest days there, with thousands heading out or arriving for weekend trips.

‘I was shocked’: How passengers reacted to the disruptions

The atmosphere at train stations was low on Friday morning as travellers anxiously awaited updates on their journeys.

In London, large crowds gathered at St Pancras station after Eurostar services were cancelled. Many appeared tense, making phone calls and searching for alternative travel options.

Harrison Baker, a 28-year-old tourist from Australia, had planned to travel to Paris that morning but was instead forced to look for accommodation in London.

“On the speaker, they said there was a bomb,” he told AFP. “I was shocked.”

Passengers were advised to head to Lille in northern France or consider flying instead.

“We’re looking up flights, but our options are limited,” Lauren Romeo-Smith, who was travelling with a group for a birthday celebration, told AFP.

Meanwhile, Jess Sayer from Norwich told BBC that she was stranded in Paris with her husband and best friend after celebrating her 40th birthday.

“We just tried to get a flight. All the flights are booked up, so at the moment, we are completely stuck in Paris with no way of getting home,” she said. “Do we get a hotel and risk trying to get the Eurostar home tomorrow? Or look into ferries?”

Julie King, who had planned a trip to Paris for her daughter’s 18th birthday, told The Guardian that the unexpected disruption had left them “really upset.”

How WW2 bombs continue to haunt Europe

Unexploded ordnance continues to haunt Europe, especially Germany , as wartime bombs are still frequently discovered on construction sites nearly 80 years after World War II.

Last month, over 175 practice bombs from the Second World War were found beneath a children’s playground in northern England. The discovery was made during renovation work at Scotts Park playground in Wooler, a small town in Northumberland near the Scottish border, BBC reported.

A report by The Guardian last year said that the Marshall Islands, despite their scenic tropical landscape, still contain remnants of war.

Millions are being spent by the US and other nations across the Pacific to locate, remove, and destroy unexploded ordnance. The report estimated that hundreds of thousands of such bombs remain scattered across the region, including in Fiji, Palau, and the Solomon Islands.

In Germany , an unexploded 500-kilogram World War II bomb was found last year in the Rhine River in Cologne. The city, which was bombed more than 200 times during the war, has seen numerous munitions unearthed over the decades.

A BBC report from 2022 suggested that thousands of unexploded World War II bombs may still exist in Wales. In 1941, the region became a key battleground due to its industrial sites along the Bristol Channel and its vulnerable route into north-west England.

In 2019, a wartime bomb disrupted train services between Paris’ Saint-Lazare station and the western suburbs.

In 2018, thousands of people were evacuated in Berlin after a World War II-era bomb weighing 1,100 pounds was uncovered. Berlin police stated that the bomb had likely been dropped by a British aircraft during the war.

It was found during construction in the city centre, close to the main train station, government buildings, and major tourist sites, The New York Times reported.

With inputs from agencies