French high-speed train reaches Paris 11 hours late after passengers stranded overnight

A French high-speed train arrived in Paris 11 hours late Friday after around 500 passengers were stranded for hours in southwestern France and forced to spend the night aboard a train, local media reported.

After waiting for three hours, passengers were transferred to another train with the help of railway staff, security personnel and firefighters.

Around 500 people were transferred, while a pregnant woman experiencing contractions was evacuated.

Passengers reached Dax at around 9 pm local time (1900GMT) and were later taken to Bordeaux, where they were unable to continue their journey because of long-planned maintenance work on the high-speed line to Paris.

They spent the night aboard the train before leaving Bordeaux at around 6.30 am local time (0430GMT) and arriving in Paris at around 8.30 am local time (0630GMT), SNCF said.

The railway operator said passengers would receive compensation equivalent to 200% of their ticket price.