Traffic is restored for TGVs between Paris and eastern France after significant delays due to a catenary break

Train travelers in eastern France had to be patient on Friday April 26. Due to a catenary break at Châlons-en-Champagne (Marne), trains which usually use the high-speed line between Paris and the East experienced significant delays all day. Rail traffic on the East high-speed line was restored around 7:30 p.m., announced SNCF Réseau, which however warned of the fact that “Traffic will remain disrupted tomorrow.” The railway company also clarified that “additional work will take place during the day tomorrow Saturday or the day after tomorrow” Sunday.

The catenary break has happened “a little before noon.” The TGVs could no longer run on this line which provides connections between Strasbourg, Nancy, Metz, Reims and Paris and were therefore forced to divert towards the classic route, causing delays in both directions going “from 20 minutes to 2 hours”according to the railway company.

According to the SNCF Gares & Connexions website, certain trains from Germany experienced delays on arrival at the Gare de l’Est in Paris of up to 5 hours, and even up to 5:30 a.m. for a TGV in coming from Colmar. In the direction of departures, trains were experiencing delays ranging from 2 hours to 2 hours 20 minutes. This break in the cables allowing the electricity supply to the trains occurred during the school holidays for the academies of Nancy-Metz, Reims and Strasbourg.