Eurostar, Thalys train traffic resumes after Paris fire

Rail services from Paris’ central Gare du Nord, including Eurostar and Thalys trains, resumed late Tuesday several hours after traffic was paralysed by a transformer fire, authorities said.

The station is a main commuter hub notably serving London and Brussels, as well as Germany and the Netherlands.

“Power has been restored and traffic will gradually resume throughout the network,” a spokeswoman for France’s national rail operator SNCF told AFP.

Electricity to the tracks was cut and train services suspended around 6:30 pm (1630 GMT) after a fire damaged a transformer just north of Paris.

Authorities said they suspected that the fire was caused by a “malicious act”, as several people had been seen trying to steal electric cables.