Smoke was emitted due to damage to the locomotive. For safety reasons, the train had to be stopped completely and the power was cut off. This means, among other things, that approximately 350 passengers no longer have air conditioning. “The train doors were opened and water was distributed,” the spokeswoman said. She added that the fire service was at the scene.
The railway company is investigating the possibility of evacuating passengers. “The train is stuck at a railway junction, which complicates the evacuation process. But we are trying to evacuate them as quickly as possible,” the spokesman said.
Delay
The power outage also affects other Thalys trains, which also had to be stopped with the air conditioning turned off. Once again, the train doors opened and water was distributed. “We are doing everything we can to rectify the situation as soon as possible,” the spokeswoman stressed.
“Water has run out and information is scarce”
Bart Willems, who is in the affected TGV, says conditions aboard the French Express are far from ideal after hours. “It’s very warm, especially in the booths, although the doors are open,” the Dutchman told De Telegraaf newspaper. “The train tape has been sold out, the water has run out and we have not received any information about what exactly is going on and what is going to happen. There is also poor access for people who want to look for information or make connections.”
He has now discovered himself, via social media, that a solution is being worked on. But for now, this concerns other trains. The train ahead is evacuated. I think the train behind us is back in Brussels.” He doesn’t know what will happen to the TGV he’s in. “We just don’t hear anything at all. The situation is really hopeless.”
frustration
Many travelers have already expressed their frustration on social media. This trip with Thalys already started with delays in Brussels due to her bumping into an animal on the rails. Shortly thereafter, we traveled again, but had to stop again because the train in front of us had problems. “Now we are back in Brussels,” one wrote on Twitter. Others are also worried. They were told there was a problem with the battery and needed to be reset.
