Hundreds of passengers saved by emergency stop system after driver jumps from high-speed train
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Thousands of rail passengers had their journeys ground to a halt in France on Christmas Eve after a TGV driver jumped from the cabin of a moving train in a suspected suicide.
The incident caused severe delays up to five hours long on the high-speed lines between Paris and Lyon on Tuesday (24 December).
France’s rail operator SNCF confirmed the driver’s death and said he had “committed suicide while the train was moving”.
The body of a man in his 50s was recovered near the tracks in Melun, more than 30 miles south of the French capital.
All 400 passengers onboard the Ouigo service from Paris to Saint-Etienne were safely brought to a halt further down the track after emergency systems engaged to stop the train, which had been travelling at around 186mph.
TGV trains require constant pressure on a pedal or handle and regular driver responses to alerts on the controls or the emergency stop system will activate the brakes.
According to SNCF: “The train’s engines automatically cut power and the automatic emergency braking system is activated at the same time.
“The security system worked exactly as planned,” reported The Connexion.
Around 3,000 rail passengers were affected by the disruption during the busy Christmas travel period.
A traffic alert said: “Train traffic is disrupted on the South East high-speed line following an accident involving a person south of Paris. Firefighters are on the scene.”
The gendarmerie and the SNCF are investigating the incident.
SNCF said: “The safety of the train’s passengers was not threatened at any time, nor was the safety of traffic, as the traffic management centre was immediately alerted automatically.”
Transport minister Philippe Tabarot added on X/Twitter on 25 December: “The event that occurred yesterday evening is a real tragedy with significant consequences for train users during this period. My thoughts go out to his family and the railway family.”
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