SNCF: a Nantes-Paris train breaks down, passengers forced to spend the night on board


A Ouigo train linking Nantes to Austerlitz station in Paris took nine hours instead of four on Thursday to reach its destination. Charlotte, a passenger, recounts her night of misfortune.

Le Figaro Nantes

The trip was long. Much more than expected. A Ouigo train left Nantes, Thursday, November 24 at 7 p.m., only arrived the next day, around 4:30 a.m., at the Austerlitz station in Paris, nine hours later. Initially, the trip was to end at 11:30 p.m. The travel time was therefore almost doubled.

“The locomotive broke down near the Aubrais station located near Orléans”confirms to the Figaro the SNCF. “We got stuck on a bridge over a four-lane”, says Charlotte, one of the passengers on board. It is then almost 10:45 p.m. At that time, the hope of arriving in Paris quickly was still strong.

“The agents on board explained to us that an emergency locomotive was going to be sent to tow us. It was supposed to be 30 minutes. Except that the delay turned into four hours”quipped Charlotte bitterly.

SEE ALSO – SNCF: an exorbitant cost for taxpayers?

A man escaped from the train

According to her, little information was communicated to passengers during this interval: “Some people got angry. I even saw a mind-blowing scene: a person managed to escape from the train! » A story that the SNCF has not been able to confirm to us.

The lack of water and food was particularly at the heart of the tensions. “There was a mother with her young child. She had nothing left to give him to drink.”, indicates the professional designer. For its part, the SNCF mentions that “meal trays were distributed to all customers”.

200% refund

Once there, the emergency machine towed the broken down train to Paris. “The last kilometers were done at a slow pace”, adds Charlotte. She was not at the end of her troubles then. “On arrival, we were not taken care of even though there were no metros and few taxis. I just received a proposal to get reimbursed”, do not take off the young woman. In a tweet, she expressed her dissatisfaction to sum up her night of trouble.

A nuanced speech by the SNCF: “On arrival at the station, travelers were greeted by agents. They were compensated up to 200%”. The company also states that “transport tickets have been produced for travelers who have had a connection break in order to allow them to continue their journey”.



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