TGV trains shot at near Valence

TWO TGV intercity trains were shot at last night to the south of Valence in the Drôme.

The trains were going in different directions and each was shot without any injuries being caused.

One train was going from Lyon to Nîmes and had a window broken, the SNCF said.

Another, approaching Valence and heading towards Paris, was hit in the bodywork. The conductor said he “felt the impact”, which was confirmed by checks once the train had stopped.

The attacks came on the same day as President Sarkozy cut the ribbon for the first section of the planned Rhine-Rhône LGV (dedicated TGV track), which will be the first of its kind not to use Paris as a hub. He then attended a celebration for the 30th anniversary of the TGV.

The line will shortly allow two-hour journeys between Dijon and Strasbourg. It is also planned that it will link Strasbourg and Lyon in just over three hours by 2017.
It is the first of several new regional LGVs which are in their early stages.

Photo: Sebastian Terfloth