TGV traffic towards the south-east gradually resumes after delays on Christmas night due to a “personal accident”

TGV traffic on the South-East high-speed line, very disrupted on the evening of Tuesday December 24 due to a “personal accident”gradually resumed Wednesday morning. A driver “ended his life while the train was moving”announced the SNCF on Wednesday, confirming the first findings of the Melun public prosecutor's office (Seine-et-Marne).

“The train's automatic stopping devices activated and the train stopped automatically,” assures the company, which specifies that “the safety of train passengers was not threatened at any time, nor was the safety of traffic.”

According to a source close to the investigation, the driver jumped from a moving train in the early evening. The driver's lifeless body was discovered a little later, Agence France-Presse (AFP) reported. Another judicial investigation was opened to investigate the causes of death and entrusted to the Melun gendarmerie company, the prosecution said.

Around ten TGVs affected

Around ten TGVs were delayed following a “personal accident”announced the SNCF on Tuesday evening. Around ten TGVs had been affected, according to an SNCF spokesperson speaking to AFP. The SNCF announced on Wednesday on its website the “gradual resumption of traffic”. “Some delays are still to be expected”however, she warned.

According to SNCF, some trains were up to five hours late, but no trains were canceled. The stop on the train tracks blocked the TGVs in both directions on this axis. The trains had to be diverted and took another route, which caused longer travel times, according to SNCF explanations.

The event led to the triggering of the Pégase plan (Plan against congestion at stations in exceptional situations), intended to absorb the massive arrival of travelers at stations when most public transport is no longer in service, lifted at 3 hours according to a source close to the investigation. Just over 3,000 people were affected by these delays in the middle of Christmas Eve.