A half-ton World War II-era bomb found near train tracks in a crowded residential area just outside of Paris unleashed travel chaos across the region Friday, prompting disruptions at Europe’s busiest rail station and closures of major roads leading into the French capital. 

The unexploded bomb was found overnight by workers doing earthmoving activity near the tracks in the Seine-Saint-Denis area north of Paris, according to French Transport Minister Philippe Tabarot.  

Bomb disposal experts were called to the scene, locals were evacuated and “a quite large” security perimeter was set up around the operation, he added. 

Eurostar, operator of high-speed trains through the Channel Tunnel that links England with the European continent, announced the cancelation of all its services to and from its Paris hub at Gare du Nord and the U.K. and Belgian capitals. 

Passengers wait inside the departure hall as traffic was disrupted at the Gare du Nord train station in Paris, France, on Friday, March 7. (Reuters/Benoit Tessier)

At Paris’ usually bustling Gare du Nord station, bright red signs warning of disruptions greeted commuters.  

SNCF says the station hosts 700,000 travelers per day, making it the busiest rail hub in Europe. 

A pedestrian crosses the closed and empty Paris ring road on March 7, 2025. (Geoffroy Van Der Hasselt/AFP via Getty Images)

Images captured crowds of stranded travelers there and at the St. Pancras International train station in London. 

Passengers line up to take a bus in order to reach Paris Charles-de-Gaulle Airport as train traffic has been stopped Friday at the Gare du Nord station. (Geoffroy Van Der Hasselt/AFP via Getty Images)

“Due to an object on the tracks near Paris Gare du Nord, we are expecting disruption to our services this morning. Please change your journey for a different date of travel,” Eurostar wrote on X. 

The Associated Press contributed to this report.