SNCF Sues 'Star Academy' Chateau Owner After Fallen Tree Halts Train Traffic

France's national railway operator, SNCF, has taken legal action against the owner of the historic estate where the television reality competition "Star Academy" is filmed, following repeated rail disruptions caused by falling trees. The latest incident took place on Sunday, October 25, when a tree from the Château des Vives-Eaux property crashed onto the tracks near Vosves in Dammarie-lès-Lys, bringing commuter service to a halt on a vital section of the RER D network in the Seine-et-Marne department.

According to railway authorities, the fallen tree blocked the tracks around 6:00 a.m., paralyzing commuter train travel between Corbeil-Essonnes and Melun until approximately 3:30 p.m. The nearly six-hour interruption stranded passengers and disrupted transit across the southeastern Parisian suburbs. SNCF confirmed that the tree originated within the grounds of the famed chateau, prompting renewed frustration from rail officials who previously experienced catastrophic service shutdowns along the identical corridor earlier in the year.

Sunday's disruption marked the second major failure linked to the property within months. On January 9, during the severe conditions of Storm Goretti, several trees from the sprawling wooded estate collapsed onto railway infrastructure. The impact bent metal poles supporting overhead catenary power cables, forcing rail technicians to install new concrete footings and replace damaged supports. That crisis paralyzed train operations on the branch for five consecutive days, prompting SNCF to file an initial legal complaint against the landowner on January 14.

Railway officials asserted that they repeatedly contacted the estate's owner, industrialist Jean-Michel Pontet, to warn him about overgrown vegetation posing an imminent hazard to train lines, but received no response. SNCF also stated that the proprietor declined to meet with a judicial officer dispatched to formally document the destruction. Noting that property owners whose land borders tracks have a strict legal duty to trim hazardous trees to protect public transit safety, the state-owned operator declared it is currently exploring further litigation and raising awareness among municipal leaders.

The estate owner offered a starkly different account of the circumstances, claiming he had no knowledge of either the weekend track blockage or any active complaint. Residing in southern France, Pontet told reporters that his correspondence was redirected to his primary residence and that neither his on-site caretaker nor his gardener had been alerted to Sunday's collapse. He insisted that he retained professional tree surgeons following the January storm, adding that the specialists assured him that all hazardous trees had already fallen and the remaining vegetation posed no threat to the railway.

Maintaining the extensive tree canopy poses formidable logistical challenges. Pontet estimated that between 30,000 and 50,000 trees stand across his property, lining the railroad track for more than half a mile. The historic chateau itself has weathered turbulent financial waters; Pontet bought the property in 2008 for 3.8 million euros and later avoided a planned auction in 2023 after court interventions and regularized financial proceedings. Production company Endemol leases the estate annually for the reality singing show broadcast on TF1, while the chateau is also rented for private events and corporate functions.

The dispute comes amid broader weather challenges confronting French rail infrastructure. SNCF reported that it had registered approximately 70 fallen trees across the regional network following the arrival of Storm Austen on Friday, October 23. In response to the persistent danger, the railway authority plans to expand safety awareness initiatives along vulnerable routes, including the Poissy-Les Mureaux and Corbeil-Essonnes-Melun lines, to ensure neighboring landowners comply with mandatory clearing regulations and avoid future transit breakdowns.