Nearly 700 passengers on the Paris-Clermont-Ferrand train arrived at their destination on Saturday morning after a delay of almost ten hours following a locomotive breakdown which blocked their train on a very cold night.
Departing at 6:57 p.m. from Paris station, intercity train 5953 arrived in Clermont shortly after 6 a.m., after a long stop at Montargis station.
“
The train broke down at Nogent-sur-Vernisson (Loiret, south of Montargis).
The driver attempted to resolve the problem but was unsuccessful.
An emergency locomotive was therefore sent from Paris
,” SNCF said in a press release to AFP.
The emergency locomotive brought the train back to Montargis station “
where meal boxes were distributed to passengers while the locomotive positioned itself at the head to allow the train to continue its journey to Clermont-Ferrand
”.
During the night, the SNCF called on the Red Cross and the firefighters to help “
take care of customers and improve their comfort
”, assures the SNCF which promised “
exceptional commercial compensation measures
”.
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Disgruntled travelers
Several Internet users presenting themselves as train passengers spoke of a trying night on social networks.
“
Is this to kill us?
No heating, no electricity, no water, no food, no news,
” X lléana complained.
“
Fortunately we had, in an emergency situation, the Red Cross who came to give us survival blankets because otherwise we were extremely cold on the train
,” a passenger who presented himself as William's name.
I
am completely exhausted, tired from this trip which was just exhausting in the cold for part of the trip.
I can’t wait to be able to sleep and catch up on my night’s sleep
.”
The Paris-Clermont line is known for its repeated delays, regularly denounced by its users.