Very disrupted rail traffic in the north after a power outage

A major power outage impacted Lille's two stations on Wednesday morning, causing train traffic to stop throughout the region for around two hours.

If rail traffic is being resumed, significant delays are to be expected until midday, SNCF said on Twitter.

A blackout lasting several hours, which notably plunged the regional command post into darkness, interrupted the circulation of TER, TGV, Thalys and Eurostar in all Hauts-de-France.

Lille Flandres and Lille Europe stations were temporarily closed to the public, before reopening in the morning.

A return to normal that will take time

The minimum current has been restored to allow a gradual resumption of train traffic from 7:45 a.m., said the company's communication service.

Also on Twitter, the prefecture called on travelers to postpone their trips or to favor other means of transport.

Given the time needed to get traffic back on the road, "this is likely to be a particularly disrupted day", for his part estimated Franck Dhersin, vice-president of Hauts-de-France in charge of Transport, evoking a possible link with the exceptional heat recorded over the past two days in the region.

Justice

SNCF indicted after the death of a teenager in 2016 at a level crossing

Lille

Hauts-de-France: The CEO of SNCF recognizes the poor quality of TER service

• Lille

• Hauts-de-France

• SNCF

• Breakdown

• electricity