SNCF: up to eight hours of delays on the Paris-Lyon-Marseille route, here’s what happened

A catenary line break that occurred Monday afternoon north of Lyon severely disrupted SNCF traffic on the Paris-Lyon-Marseille-Nice route. Two Paris-Nice TGVs remained immobilized for several hours in extreme heat. Passengers arrived at night with delays of up to eight hours. Traffic returned to normal on Tuesday morning.

Rail traffic was severely disrupted Monday evening on the Paris-Lyon-Marseille-Nice route following a catenary line break in Montanay, north of Lyon. The incident occurred yesterday around 4 p.m. and cut off the electrical power to one track.

Two TGVs connecting Paris to Nice remained stuck for several hours on the open track. Without electrical power, the trains no longer had air conditioning while temperatures exceeded 30 degrees Celsius.

Passengers were finally allowed to exit onto the tracks to get some fresh air after alternative routes were set up. Civil protection intervened as backup to assist passengers. Water was also distributed and the train doors were opened.

According to SNCF, nearly a thousand passengers were on board the two stranded trains. “Just being outside already helps. Because inside, it was unbearable”, says one passenger. “Inside, it was unbearable. A woman with a baby, he was completely sweating”, recounts another traveler. “An oven! The first hour when we weren’t allowed to go outside, it was tough. Especially for vulnerable people, elderly people and children, it must have been even harder”, adds a passenger.

Up to eight hours of delay for Paris-Nice TGVs

The two Paris-Nice TGVs finally resumed their journey in the evening thanks to the deployment of diesel locomotives dispatched from Creusot TGV station.

The first train arrived in Nice Tuesday at 3:54 a.m. instead of 8:04 p.m. Monday, representing nearly eight hours of delay. The second arrived at 4:34 a.m. instead of 11 p.m.

Other trains operating on the Paris-Lyon-Marseille route also experienced disruptions. Some trains were diverted onto conventional lines, resulting in delays of between thirty minutes and more than an hour and a half in both directions.

Slowdowns were also reported on several lines of the southeastern rail network late into the evening.

SNCF indicates that repairs were completed overnight. Some disruptions remained possible Tuesday morning on the Paris-Lyon line, notably due to the consequences of delays on railway crews.

Traffic finally returned to normal Tuesday morning. An investigation was opened by SNCF Network to determine the exact cause of the catenary line damage.