Summary

  1. Travellers scramble to make alternative planspublished at 11:51 Greenwich Mean Time 7 March

    Tom Symonds
    Reporting from London St Pancras

    A large crowd of passengers, with luggage, sit on benches looking at their phone.Image source, Reuters
    Image caption,

    Eurostar has apologised for the disruption this morning

    People are generally taking this in their stride.

    I spoke to one group of women heading out to Paris for a 25th birthday. They're really not expecting now to get to Paris so they're going to enjoy themselves in London.

    I also spoke to an American couple over for a holiday in London and Paris. They had everything booked - the Eiffel Tower, a trip down the Seine - and now they're likely not to be able to go at all.

    They're having to find accommodation in London and await their flight back to the US on Sunday - so some considerable cost for them and a disappointing trip.

    Some Eurostar routes are unaffected, and some people are using that to try to find a way to where they need to go.

    A group of young guys I spoke to said they were planning to go to Lille and then get a bus from there to Paris - very enterprising. It's going to take them a while though. They said it's going to take them three hours to get from Lille to Paris.

  2. Parts of Paris ring road and A1 closed, police saypublished at 11:30 Greenwich Mean Time 7 March
    Breaking

    The disruption caused by the discovery of an unexploded World War Two bomb is affecting more than just rail services.

    Police in Paris now say two key roads are partially closed.

    They say parts of the Paris ring road, the Boulevard Périphérique, are closed in the Saint-Denis area, as are parts of the A1, which is a major road into the north of the city.

  3. Services could resume at 15:00 GMT - French transport ministerpublished at 11:20 Greenwich Mean Time 7 March

    French transport minister Philippe TabarotImage source, Reuters

    Rail services at Paris Gare du Nord could begin resuming from 15:00 GMT, transport minister Philippe Tabarot tells a news briefing, according to AFP.

    "If things become safer and we get the green light from the police headquarters in the next few hours, part of the service could - and I do mean could - be restored from 16:00 CET (1500 GMT)."

  4. 'Lunch in Lille - then we work out how to get to Paris'published at 11:12 Greenwich Mean Time 7 March

    Karen and her husband Paul had plans for a three-day getaway in Paris to celebrate his birthday.

    After they were told about the cancellations, they decided to hop on the train to Lille.

    “Me and my husband travelled down last night," she tells the BBC. "We arrived and were told at about 07:00 that trains were cancelled - and no guarantee when they would restart.

    "As we were effectively stranded, we've decided to transfer our ticket and travel to Lille.

    "So, lunch in Lille, and will then work out how to get to Paris from there."

  5. Eurostar app crashing after mass cancellationspublished at 10:43 Greenwich Mean Time 7 March

    Jamie Dorrington
    Reporting from London St Pancras

    As I mentioned earlier, I'm trying to exchange my cancelled Eurostar ticket from London to Paris for a new one tomorrow morning.

    However, the Eurostar app keeps crashing. "I am sorry but we cannot retrieve your booking information," a banner reads.

    I've got as far as selecting a new time for tomorrow afternoon before the app throws me back to the homepage.

    I am assuming it is because of the thousands of people currently trying to do the very same.

    A screenshot of the Eurostar app, with a message reading: "Sorry, something went wrong. Please try again. If the same error occurs please get in touch using our online form".
  6. Emergency services block access to freight area in Parispublished at 10:30 Greenwich Mean Time 7 March

    These pictures from Getty Images show police and emergency services have blocked off an access point to French railway company SNCF's freight area in Paris.

    The site is in Saint-Denis, northern Paris, where the unexploded World War Two bomb was found.

    Police officers stand in the foreground with infrastructure for moving freight is visible in the backgroundImage source, Getty Images
    Red and white tape marks off a street, with a police car parked in the road and officers standing in the backgroundImage source, Getty Images
    Emergency service workers, some in high vis, stand in front of a barrier, with the freight area in Saint-Denis in the backgroundImage source, Getty Images
  7. Quiet railways in northern France as disruption continuespublished at 10:13 Greenwich Mean Time 7 March

    Daniel Wittenberg
    Reporting from London St Pancras

    A Eurostar train door, showing the destination is Paris but with no one in view

    The other Eurostar routes – between London and Brussels or Amsterdam – are still mostly running as normal.

    I was on the first train from Brussels to St Pancras International this morning after a reporting trip.

    At Brussels Midi station, there were announcements of cancellations of trains between Belgium and France every couple of minutes.

    The railways of northern France looked mostly quiet as we rattled towards the English Channel.

    As I stepped onto the platform in London, the train opposite – meant for Paris – stood empty.

    Instead, the station concourse was packed with passengers.

  8. Travellers queue for buses in Parispublished at 10:04 Greenwich Mean Time 7 March

    With so many trains in Paris and out of the city cancelled this morning, travellers there have been seen queueing for buses to Charles de Gaulle airport.

    Here are the latest images:

    People stand outside with their luggage in a queue for a busImage source, Getty Images
    People queue around a corner on the street in Paris as they wait for busesImage source, Getty Images
  9. What's the latest?published at 09:48 Greenwich Mean Time 7 March

    • All Eurostar services between London and Paris are cancelled today after an unexploded Second World War bomb was found near the Gare du Nord station
    • The bomb was found in the area of Saint-Denis during overnight works
    • Travellers are being told to change their journey for a different date or claim a refund or voucher
    • Eurostar services between Paris and Brussels are also cancelled
    • The Brussels to Marne La Vallée, London to Brussels and London to Amsterdam trains are all running normally, Eurostar says
    • Some local train services in Paris will not resume until mid-afternoon, local train line RER B says

    We'll bring you more detail on the suspended Eurostar services shortly.

  10. Passengers offered exchange, voucher or refundpublished at 09:38 Greenwich Mean Time 7 March

    Jamie Dorrington
    Reporting from London St Pancras

    People crowd the waiting area near the Eurostar gates

    I'm still at St Pancras station, where I was due catch the 06:01 GMT Eurostar service to Paris this morning, before it was cancelled.

    I have just been told by a member of staff that there will be no trains to Paris today, and to book as quickly as I can for tomorrow.

    I was emailed three options by Eurostar after the cancellation:

    • Exchange my booking free of charge to travel in the same travel class at a different time or date
    • Cancel my booking and claim a voucher - redeemable for 12 months - or get a refund

    I chose the first option.

  11. Eurostar apologises for disruptionpublished at 09:30 Greenwich Mean Time 7 March

    In its latest update, Eurostar says it "sincerely apologises for the disruption and understands the inconvenience this may cause".

    "We appreciate everyone's patience and cooperation during this time," the statement adds.

  12. All services between Paris and Brussels cancelled - Eurostarpublished at 09:29 Greenwich Mean Time 7 March
    Breaking

    We can bring you more now from Eurostar, which just confirmed that all its services between Paris and London will remain suspended for the rest of the day.

    In a statement, it says services in both directions between Paris and Brussels are also cancelled for Friday.

    The Brussels to Marne La Vallée, London to Brussels and London to Amsterdam trains are all running normally, it adds.

  13. Eurostar: Services between London and Paris to remain suspended all daypublished at 09:18 Greenwich Mean Time 7 March
    Breaking

    Eurostar says its services between London and Paris will remain suspended for the rest of the day.

    It follows the discovery of an unexploded World War Two bomb near to the Gare du Nord station in Paris.

    More on this shortly.

    Trains parked at Gard Du NordImage source, Getty Images
  14. Limited services in Paris to resume this afternoon - transport ministerpublished at 09:15 Greenwich Mean Time 7 March

    France's transport minister, Philippe Tabarot, says the disruption to train services in and out of Paris Gare du Nord will be disrupted "all day".

    Speaking to Sud Radio, he says limited services will resume in the afternoon.

    On the discovery of the unexploded World War Two bomb, he tells those living nearby they have nothing to worry about.

  15. Which Eurostar trains have been cancelled?published at 08:59 Greenwich Mean Time 7 March

    Eurostar trains parked at platforms at Gare du NordImage source, Getty Images

    London to Paris:

    The first four Eurostar trains to Paris - the earliest scheduled for 06:01 GMT - have been cancelled.

    The fifth, scheduled for 10:41 GMT, is currently showing on the online departure board as normal.

    Paris to London:

    The first six services due to run from Paris to London have been cancelled.

    The seventh, the 12:09 CET, is showing as running.

  16. Some local train services in Paris won't resume until mid-afternoonpublished at 08:53 Greenwich Mean Time 7 March
    Breaking

    Some local train services in Paris will not resume until mid-afternoon, train line RER B posts on X.

    It adds that services remain disrupted across the entire line.

    The RER B line is a direct rail link between Paris and Paris-Charles de Gaulle Airport and one of five main train lines connecting the city to the surrounding suburbs.

  17. Passengers seek alternative routes as long queues formpublished at 08:44 Greenwich Mean Time 7 March

    Tom Symonds
    News correspondent, reporting from London St Pancras

    Queues are beginning to form at St Pancras as passengers try to work out their next steps.

    One group was approaching the front of the line after a two-and-a-half-hour wait.

    Their 07:00 GMT train was cancelled and they now plan to travel to Lille and make a three-hour bus journey to Paris.

    The departure boards are showing the hourly train to Paris has been cancelled. Services to Lille appear unaffected.

    Ivana Koralek has decided to cancel a trip to see her elderly mother and nephew in France.

    She said she had been unable to rebook for three weeks’ time because ticket machines in the station didn’t offer the discount she had originally received.

    Passengers crowd St Pancras station
  18. Eurostar staff say update expected from middaypublished at 08:33 Greenwich Mean Time 7 March

    Jamie Dorrington
    Reporting from London St Pancras

    I was on the 06:01 GMT from London to Paris this morning.

    We were told the train was cancelled after an hour delay at St Pancras.

    Staff directed us back through immigration to check our passports back into the UK.

    A Eurostar staff member said there would be an official update from midday.

    People are still crowded around the entrance to try and get more information.

    I have been able to book onto the 17:31 GMT, which could suggest that it'll be back up and running later on.

  19. Stranded passengers crowd London St Pancraspublished at 08:28 Greenwich Mean Time 7 March

    All trains in the London to Paris direction have been cancelled until at least 10:31 GMT.

    Many passengers have been left waiting for updates on both ends, with Eurostar advising people to change their journey for different travel dates.

    Here are the latest images from St Pancras:

    People stand around at the Eurostar terminal in London St Pancras
    A crowd stands at King's Cross Station