TGV passengers in France spend night on train after fatal accident causes widespread delays
Rail passengers suffer seven-hour delay after man killed by train on Paris–Lyon rail line
A 28-year-old man was fatally struck by a TGV near Mâcon, causing major disruption to rail services
Alexandre Prevot/Shutterstock.
A 28-year-old man was struck and killed by a train travelling from Lyon to Paris on May 18, resulting in long delays and disruption to rail services, with multiple passengers having to spend the night on board.
The incident took place near Mâcon-Loché TGV station, in the Burgundy region, at around 22:00, when the unnamed man was fatally struck by a high-speed train.
The disruption affected not only the train involved, which carried around 500 passengers, but also seven other trains, leaving thousands of passengers stranded.
A large number of emergency services were deployed following the incident, including firefighters, paramedics, SNCF teams, police officers, and forensic technicians.
The disruption also forced trains to be diverted from high-speed lines onto conventional rail lines in order to bypass the affected area.
The train involved, which had departed from Marseille, was brought to a halt near Mâcon following the incident at around 22:00, and was unable to resume its journey until around 03:00 to 04:00. “After waiting for an hour, an hour and a half, we knew it was going to be a long wait. The train left again at 03:00 and we arrived at 04:00,” a passenger told RTL.
When the train restarted, it had to return to Lyon, and therefore never reached its intended destination. Upon arrival in Lyon, some passengers opted for hotel accommodation, while others chose to take a morning train. Many also slept at the station, where blankets and meals were provided.
According to RTL, SNCF assured passengers that it would fully cover the cost of the hotel stays and ticket refunds.
The other seven trains affected were operating services between Paris, Lyon, Marseille, and Geneva.
Of the eight trains in total, two were unable to reach their destinations: the train involved in the incident, and another train travelling from Lyon to Geneva via Paris, which terminated its journey in the French capital. These two trains experienced the longest delays, lasting more than seven hours.
For passengers on the Geneva-bound train that stopped in Paris, hotel accommodation was also offered, although SNCF said that there were not enough hotel rooms available for all the passengers, meaning some passengers had to spend the night at the station.
These passengers were provided with food, clean sheets and basic supplies while waiting for alternative trains.
