Eurostar, French trains disrupted due to suspected unexploded WW2 bomb
Eurostar trains between London and northern France and French trains TGV, RER, and TER have been suspended after a suspected object was found near Paris Gare du Nord, Paris North, train station.
A social media account of RER B line reported the disruption was caused by a suspected unexploded bomb from the second world war,
French media said it was discovered during overnight maintenance works on railway tracks in the commune of Saint Denis, with emergency services attending.
Severe travel disruptions are expected as a result.
Key events
Paris Gare du Nord is the busiest train station in Europe, with over 250 million passengers a year using it with all transport modes, which gives you an idea of the scale of disruption this morning.
Morning opening: ‘Watershed moment’ for Europe – now what?
Jakub Krupa
European leaders have reaffirmed their “continued and unwavering support for Ukraine’s independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity within its internationally recognised borders” on Thursday night, as they announced plans to massively increase defence spending.
European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen called it “a watershed moment” for Europe.
Setting out their red lines, the EU countries – without Hungary, which refused to sign the conclusions – agreed there can be no negotiation about Ukraine without Ukraine, any truce should only be part of a lasting and comprehensive peace agreement, and Ukraine needs to be put in the strongest possible position to negotiate its future.
But the key thing is a clear commitment to spend more, produce more, and streamline procurement processes to rearm Europe.
Since Donald Trump was inaugurated as the US president and put a question mark over US support for Europe, a number of EU countries have revised their defence spending targets, and more are planning to do so in the coming weeks.
The feeling among European leaders was best captured by the Danish prime minister Mette Frederiksen:
I do not think we have a lot of time. So [we need to] rearm Europe: spend, spend, spend on defence and deterrence.
The political signal from last night’s meeting of the European Council, attended by Zelenskyy, was clear. Now, it’s about the implementation of these decisions.
Separately, Zelenskyy and the US side indicated that they are likely to meet next week, potentially to sign the much-awaited minerals deal, which could help progress the Trump-led peace process. But there is still a lot of distrust and questions over the US motivations, and on whether Russia is genuinely prepared to sit down to talk about peace given it continues to attack Ukraine.
Top EU officials, European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen and European Council president António Costa will debrief other non-EU leaders on last night’s talk today, including the UK.
I will bring you all reactions and other developments across Europe.
It’s Friday, 7 March 2025, and this is Europe live. It’s Jakub Krupa here.
Good morning.
Eurostar, French trains disrupted due to suspected unexploded WW2 bomb
Eurostar trains between London and northern France and French trains TGV, RER, and TER have been suspended after a suspected object was found near Paris Gare du Nord, Paris North, train station.
A social media account of RER B line reported the disruption was caused by a suspected unexploded bomb from the second world war,
French media said it was discovered during overnight maintenance works on railway tracks in the commune of Saint Denis, with emergency services attending.
Severe travel disruptions are expected as a result.