An unexploded World War Two bomb discovered near Paris’s Gare du Nord station was safely defused on Friday, after rail services to and from the hub were suspended.
French Transport Minister Philippe Tabarot confirmed all Eurostar trains between Paris and London were cancelled for the rest of the day, with normal operations expected to restart on Saturday. Local rail services resumed by 17:00 GMT following the evacuation of 200 residents in Saint-Denis and the temporary closure of a section of the suburb’s main ring road.
The 500kg bomb was uncovered two metres underground at a construction site roughly a mile north of Gare du Nord, where workers were installing a new bridge over railway tracks.
Simon Lejeune, Eurostar’s Chief Safety and Stations Officer, described the situation as “complex” and said cancelling all 32 London-Paris services was the “best course of action” to provide passengers with “certainty” amid the disruption. He apologised for the travel chaos and technical issues affecting access to the Eurostar app, advising travellers to use the website to rebook, claim refunds, or obtain vouchers.
The bomb was located 200 metres from the Paris périphérique, approximately 2.5km north of Gare du Nord—Europe’s busiest rail station. A segment of the northern ring road and the A1 motorway near Porte de la Chapelle were closed, causing traffic jams across 218km of roads in the Paris region.
Authorities in Saint-Denis confirmed six schools and a care home for elderly residents fell within the evacuation zone but stressed they were not at risk due to a lack of windows facing the site. Homes within a 500m radius of the bomb with outward-facing windows were evacuated.
While Eurostar services to Brussels, Amsterdam, and Marne-la-Vallée operated normally, high-speed TGV trains to Gare du Nord faced severe disruption, with some diverted to Gare de Lyon.
The area around Gare du Nord was frequently targeted by Allied bombers during World War Two, leaving behind unexploded ordnance that continues to be discovered decades later.
Eurostar announced passengers could rebook for free on alternative dates, subject to availability, and added two extra trains on Saturday: a morning departure from London to Paris and an afternoon service from Paris to London.
At London’s St Pancras International, queues formed from 08:30 GMT as stranded passengers sought solutions. One group, whose 07:00 GMT train was cancelled, waited over two hours before opting to travel to Lille and continue to Paris by bus.
Jess Sayer from Norwich described being “completely stuck” in Paris with her husband and friend after celebrating her 40th birthday. “Flights are fully booked, and we can’t secure a Eurostar ticket for tomorrow,” she said. Her friend, Sarah Fitzgerald, faced added stress as she needed to return to London to prepare for a family funeral.
The disruption coincided with Paris Fashion Week, leaving personal shopper Anna Griffiths unable to attend a Chloé Fashion House event. “This was my first invite—it’s devastating,” she said.
Others, like Ivana Koralek, scrapped plans to visit family in France after failing to rebook discounted tickets. Karen Hamblin from Chester rerouted to Lille after her Paris-bound train was axed, vowing to “work out how to reach Paris from there.”
The incident underscored the lingering risks of wartime explosives in urban areas—and the ripple effects of such discoveries on modern travel.