Eurostar trains from London to Paris cancelled after World War II bomb was found near rail lines

Thousands of passengers planning to travel between London and Paris faced disruptions on Friday (March 7) after all Eurostar trains were cancelled owing to the discovery of an unexploded Second World War bomb near train tracks.

Local media reported that a 500kg bomb was found buried two meters deep “in the middle of the tracks” in Saint-Denis, a suburb of Paris. The explosive was discovered around 4 am by workers conducting earth-moving operations near the railway.

The cross-Channel operator said at least 10 services were halted Friday morning following instructions from the authorities. It added all trains will remain suspended for the day, in a major disappointment for holidaymakers embarking on international weekend breaks.

Passengers were left stranded outside the check-in area at London St Pancras and France’s Gare du Nord.

The French national train operator, SNCF, urged people to “postpone their trip"

Eurostar also released a statement, saying it “sincerely apologises for the disruption and understands the inconvenience this may cause”.

‘No fear of explosion’

French transport minister Philippe Tabarot was quoted as saying by local media that there was “no fear” of explosion.

He added that all measures had been taken for defusing the bomb and removing it safely.

Bomb disposal experts were deployed to the site earlier, and the operation was still in progress. While unexploded bombs from the First and Second World Wars are frequently found across France, discoveries in highly populated areas like this are extremely rare.

Notably, France’s Gare du Nord is one of Europe’s busiest stations and handles around 700,000 travellers daily.

The station connects domestic routes, Paris’ main airport, and international destinations such as London, Brussels, and cities in the Netherlands.

While talking to the media, stranded passengers expressed their frustration as the service cancellation disrupted their plans.

“We’re frantically on our phones trying to find out what to do,” BBC quoted Jess Sayer from Norwich as saying, who had been stuck in Paris with her husband.

“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?”

(With inputs from agencies)