Trains to and from Paris were cancelled, a district evacuated and a major ring road temporarily closed after an unexploded World War II-era bomb was found on the tracks leading to Paris Gare du Nord, on Friday, the 7th of March, according to the BBC and Reuters.
During overnight construction work, a 500 kg World War II-era unexploded bomb was found on the tracks in a Paris suburb.
The bomb was found 2.5 km from the station, in the middle of the track, one of the network’s train lines – the H line – said in a post on X. Paris police said the bomb was found at 3:30 local time.
🚨Eurostar chaos: The first image of the bomb that halted all London-Paris Eurostar trains has been released.
The bomb resembles those used by the RAF in raids like Paris-Saint-Chapelle in 1944.
(pic: Fabie Villedieu) pic.twitter.com/Grnselzmc9
— Madam Bè (@0xm0m0) March 7, 2025
A demining operation evacuated houses with windows within a 500m radius of the blast and closed part of a Paris ring road.
Philippe Tabarot, the French Transport Minister, announced that local rail services from the Nord station would not resume until late afternoon.
“Due to the discovery last night of an unexploded World War II-era bomb during work on the tracks […], services to and from the Gare du Nord have been completely suspended,” Eurostar said. Passengers can exchange their tickets free of charge to travel on a different date or time, it said.
According to the Paris Tourist Office, around 220 million passengers pass through the North Station each year, Europe’s busiest railway station, travelling to and from destinations in northern France as well as London, Belgium, the Netherlands and Germany.
The cancellation of trains caused major problems for passengers, leading to long waiting queues, overcrowded stations and frustration as many were stranded without a way to reach their destinations.
❗️💣🇫🇷 – All Eurostar trains to London have been halted following the discovery of an unexploded World War II bomb near the tracks in Paris.
Chaos has gripped one of Europe’s busiest rail hubs after an unexploded 500-kilogram (1,100-pound) World War II bomb, containing 200… pic.twitter.com/zP9aAS7VtU
— 🔥🗞The Informant (@theinformant_x) March 7, 2025
Clemens Fandard from Paris said that her 6:20 train to Amsterdam was initially 45 minutes late but then cancelled. “I had heard reports that these things happen from time to time,” said Fandard, adding: “We were unlucky!”
One woman told the BBC that she and her husband were in Paris to celebrate her 40th birthday and now they are “completely stranded in Paris and can’t get home” because flights were fully booked and she is unsure whether to risk the train tomorrow or stay in Paris longer or find other ways to get home.
Another traveller was unable to get to London for a funeral, while another cancelled a trip to visit family in France because she was unable to rebook.