Thousands stranded as WWII bomb paralyses Paris train station

The discovery of a huge unexploded World War II-era bomb near the tracks severed Paris' high-speed rail links with London and Brussels on Friday, dashing travelers' weekend getaway plans and causing cascading disruptions to scores of other intercity and commuter trains in and out of the French capital's Gare du Nord, the busiest railway station in France.

Eurostar, operator of sleek high-speed trains between the U.K. and the continent, announced the cancellation of all its services to and from Gare du Nord, its Paris hub, and the British and Belgian capitals.

The repercussions were immediate, throwing travel plans into disarray.

"There's no solution, we're going to call the hotel and stay one more day. And change our train ticket," said Michel Garrot, a retired Parisian who found himself stranded in Brussels, which he'd been visiting with his wife.

At London's St. Pancras station, Eurostar's London hub, travelers scrambled for alternatives. Fridays are invariably busy there with thousands of people leaving and arriving for weekend breaks. Passengers were advised to try taking trains to Lille in northern France, or fly to Paris.

"We're looking up flights, but our options are limited," said Lauren Romeo-Smith, part of a group that had a birthday weekend in Paris planned.

Another St. Pancras traveler, Lee Bailey, said Eurostar offered him free rebooking or a refund, and an apology, but no compensation.

"I'd like to go to a Michelin (starred) restaurant in Paris on their dime, but that's not happening, apparently," he told Sky News.

Eurostar, which runs its trains through the Channel Tunnel between Britain and the continent, said it "sincerely apologizes for the disruption and understands the inconvenience this may cause."

At Paris' usually humming Gare du Nord station, bright red signs warning of disruptions greeted commuters. French national rail operator SNCF says the station habitually sees 700,000 travelers per day, making it the busiest rail hub in both France and Europe. As well as towns and cities across northern France and the Paris suburbs, the station also serves Paris' main airport and international destinations including London, Brussels and cities in the Netherlands.

French Transport Minister Philippe Tabarot said the huge disruptions were caused by the discovery of a bomb that weighed half a ton. Workers found it overnight while doing earth-moving near the tracks in the Seine-Saint-Denis region that borders Paris to the north. Bomb disposal experts were called.

Tabarot said a "a quite large" security perimeter was set up around the bomb-disposal operation and people were evacuated. He urged commuters to postpone rail trips.

Bombs left over from World War I or World War II are regularly discovered around France but it is very rare to find them in such a people-packed location. The SNCF said rail traffic was stopped at the request of police.