Wednesday March 13, 2013

Paris train services with Brussels, London resume

PARIS:High-speed train services resumed Wednesday between Paris and London and between Paris and Brussels after heavy snow stopped them the day before, the French rail authorities said.

SNCF said the cross-Channel Eurostar service to London and the Thalys service to Brussels had resumed around 0700 am (0600 GMT). High-speed links were also restored between Paris and regional centres like Amien, Rouen and Caen.

"SNCF put up more than 1,000 customers in hotel rooms near stations and in train sleeping carriages that were made available," the rail authority said in a statement.

"For 24 hours, 10,000 employees have been working to remove snow from the rail lines and re-establish service," it added.

The train services were suspended when a severe late-winter snowstorm battered northwestern Europe on Tuesday, causing widespread travel chaos with the cancellation of hundreds of flights at main airports.

Blizzard-like conditions - coming only eight days before the official start of spring - also knocked out power to thousands of people in France and left thousands of motorists stranded in their cars.

France was the worst affected but Belgium, Britain, Germany and the Netherlands also reported major disruptions.-AFP

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Wednesday March 13, 2013

Paris train services with Brussels, London resume