Huge fire at Montparnasse train station in Paris strands thousands of travelers

A fire at an electrical center run by the national transport network in Issy-les-Moulineaux southwest of Paris, sent a massive plume of smoke rising into the skies, paralyzing traffic in and out of the city’s Montparnasse train station today. Montparnasse is the main station that connects Paris to west and southwest France.

According to rail operator SNCS, around 100,000 travelers had their plans disrupted at the station just when they were hoping to head out for their weekend holiday. Although some trains started running again in the afternoon after a 3-hour delay, SNCF said it expected disruptions into the weekend. Its goal is to keep at least 60 percent of the trains running.

Authorities are trying to reroute some of the trains to another main station – Austerlitz, including trains to and from the southwest, which includes Bordeaux. A shuttle bus is taking passengers to and from Montparnasse to the Austerlitz station. Trains from the west of France, including Brittany and Pays de la Loire, are still heading to Gare Montparnasse, while services to Tours and Poitiers have been cancelled.

Photo courtesy of AFP/Gerard Julien

The SNCS website posted this notice:

“Given that EDF was not able to ensure the recharge of the station of Paris-Montparnasse, our capacity of circulation remains reduced on Saturday, July 28th. SNCF is obliged to remove some trains. As announced, 70% of scheduled trains will be operating. The application and the website SNCF.COM will be updated Friday, July 27 at 23:00. For the list of deleted TGVs, you can consult the article “Traffic disturbed at the departure and arrival of Paris-Montparnasse” in the “Traffic information” section. Note that only travelers with a ticket for trains traveling will be able to borrow them. TGVs to and from the South West (Bordeaux, La Rochelle, Hendaye, Toulouse) have exceptionally for arrival or departure station Paris-Austerlitz. TGV trains coming from or going to Brittany and Pays de la Loire remain at the departure and arrival of Paris-Montparnasse. TGVs to Tours and Poitiers are removed. Travelers of these TGVs are invited to take the Intercités from Paris-Austerlitz. Intercity TGVs and Intercités Paris <> Granville circulate normally. SNCF invites travelers who can to postpone their trip as far as possible and reminds that people who cannot borrow our trains will be fully reimbursed.”

The shutdown happened at a time of year when Parisians usually head to the countryside and beaches, leaving the capital with little population – perhaps a good time for tourists to visit Paris?

It was reported by the rail operator that a transformer caught on fire that controlled the station’s safety installations. The cause of the fire is being investigated.

Some 2,500 people had to be evacuated from the area and around 16,000 homes in the suburbs of Paris lost electricity.