“The first findings seem to suggest an act of suicide by the driver of a TGV train,” the Melun public prosecutor’s office (Seine-et-Marne) said this Wednesday morning. Shortly after, the SNCF confirmed the suicide of its employee.
“Automatic railway safety procedures ensured the train stopped,” added the prosecution. According to a source close to the investigation, the driver of a train jumped, causing delays for around ten trains on New Year's Eve. His lifeless body was discovered a little later.
3,000 travelers affected
The SNCF announced this Wednesday on its website the “gradual resumption of traffic following a personal accident south of Paris”. “Some delays are still to be expected,” she warned. “Train traffic on the South-East high-speed line is disrupted this evening (Tuesday) due to a personal accident in the south of Seine-et-Marne,” said a spokesperson on Tuesday evening.
Around ten TGVs were affected about an hour late, the SNCF said on Tuesday evening, according to which the incident ended around 1 a.m. According to the source close to the investigation, around 3 a.m., all the travelers had returned to their destination. According to SNCF this Wednesday morning, some trains were up to 5 hours late, but no train was canceled.
Around 3,000 travelers were affected by these delays. “It’s scandalous on Christmas Eve,” said one of them, interviewed by BFMTV. On social networks, several Internet users attacked the railway company: “I am stuck on the TGV. No water, no food. Frankly, thank you for this New Year’s Eve, SNCF,” wrote one of them on X.
6 hours late
According to BFMTV, trains finally reached their destination at 1 a.m., approximately 6 hours late, this Wednesday, December 25. On its website, the SNCF announced Tuesday evening that due to this incident, delays could be up to 1 hour 30 minutes, but the indicative timetables recorded around midnight for three trains indicated a delay of three to five hours: TGV Inoui Brussels-Lyon n°9844, Ouigo Paris-Lyon n°7805 and TGV Inoui Montpellier-Paris n°6206.
