Trains halted after World War II bomb discovered on tracks near Gare du Nord station in Paris

Rail travel across Europe has been thrown into disarray as the continent’s busiest station, Gare du Nord in Paris, is shut after a 500kg WWII bomb was found near the tracks.

Trains throughout Paris and France have ground to a halt and connections across Europe have been cancelled after a World War II bomb was found on the tracks leading to Gare du Nord station in the French capital.

The unexploded bomb was found “in the middle of the tracks” overnight during maintenance work carried out in the area of what is Europe’s busiest train terminals, the national SNCF rail company said on Friday.

Passengers were blindsided by the incident with many only learning of the news once they arrived at the station. Picture: AFP

The bomb is “dated to the Second World War,” it added.

All traffic to the Gare du Nord train station, which is France’s busiest railway terminus and serves international trains to London and mainland Europe, high-speed and local connections, was halted as police worked to disable the device.

Some people have been lining up for hours in an attempt to catch a bus to their destination. Picture: AFP

The Gare du Nord station is in the north of the French capital, hosting the Eurostar international trains in addition to regional and suburban service, according to French railway operator SNCF.

All Eurostar trains heading to and from Paris, including the popular service to London through the Channel Tunnel, were cancelled for much of Friday, shattering the weekend plans of thousands.

French police officers, next to firefighters, block the access to the SNCF's freight area in Saint-Denis. Picture: AFP

Matthieu Chabanel, head of rail infrastructure management unit SNCF Reseau, said that finding a bomb of such size was “really quite exceptional.” “We know that during World War II, the rail network was heavily bombed, especially here north of Paris where there were also many factories,” he told reporters.

“So we are particularly vigilant when we carry out work in this area and we detect an abnormal situation, which is what happened last night,” he said, adding that police teams were immediately notified.

voilà la bombe(300kg) découverte cette nuit lors des travaux ferroviaires. pic.twitter.com/zNpRSuRBWC

— Fabien Villedieu (@VilledieuFabien) March 7, 2025

Sud-Rail unionist Fabien Villedieu posted a picture of the ordnance covered in dirt.

It was not immediately clear when and by who the bomb was dropped during World War II and if it dated to before or after the 1940 occupation of Paris by Nazi Germany.

Thousands queued for hours to catch buses as the tracks remained at a standstill.

A pedestrian crosses the closed and empty Paris ring road, Boulevard Peripherique, next to the Porte d'Aubervilliers, in Paris. Picture: AFP

“Due to an object on the tracks near Paris Gare du Nord, we are expecting disruption to our services this morning. Please change your journey for a different date of travel,” the service’s website said.

The Gare du Nord train station is located in the north of Paris and is Europe’s busiest rail hub, serving an estimated 700,000 people each day, according to the SNCF.

In London, hundreds of passengers joined a snaking queue in St Pancras station to change their tickets.

Many were sitting alongside their suitcases or searching for alternative travel routes and accommodation.

Friday is one of the busiest days of the week for the train route between the French and British capital, a Eurostar employee at the central London station told AFP.

Originally published as Trains halted after World War II bomb discovered on tracks near Gare du Nord station in Paris