Ouigo Train Passengers Endure Hours-Long Delay After Animal Strike and Road Accident

Passengers aboard a Ouigo train traveling from Rennes to Paris experienced an ordeal lasting over six to nine hours due to consecutive incidents on the railway lines over the weekend. The train departed from the Breton station on Sunday, October 25, at 7:00 p.m., and was originally scheduled to arrive at Austerlitz station around 11:00 p.m.

The first disruption occurred in Eure-et-Loir, near Joy, when the lead locomotive struck a wild boar. The impact damaged the nose of the train and halted the journey. Working alongside SNCF Voyageurs and SNCF Réseau teams, the driver managed to restart the locomotive around 3:00 a.m. after extensive repairs.

However, shortly after resuming the trip, the train encountered a second obstruction near Rambouillet in the Yvelines. A car accident had caused heavy concrete blocks to break off a bridge and fall onto the tracks below. With the rail route completely blocked, moving forward by train became impossible.

As hours passed in the cold carriages with the air conditioning running, passengers grew increasingly frustrated. One passenger recounted the situation on board, stating, "We hit a wild boar, we've been waiting for two hours. They are telling us there's an intervention in an hour and a half. I won't be home before 3-4 in the morning." Another traveler, journalist Guillaume Pépin, noted that conditions worsened overnight. "We were in the middle of the night, it was cold, the AC was still on. We didn't have sandwiches in our bags... They handed out small bottles of self-service water, but no food. So naturally, hunger strikes. Around 4 to 5 in the morning is when it really gets heavy," he said.

The French Red Cross intervened at Rambouillet to distribute hot beverages to the stranded travelers. To complete the journey, passengers were eventually evacuated from the train and transported to Austerlitz station via buses and taxis arranged by the railway company.

In response to the severe disruptions, SNCF Voyageurs announced compensation measures. Travelers who used rideshare services or taxis from Rambouillet to finish their trips will receive a reimbursement of up to 70 euros. All other passengers will obtain a full refund for their tickets along with a voucher of equivalent value for future travel on the network.