Paris [France], December 26: A train driver in France committed suicide while on the job, causing several train delays and affecting about 3,000 passengers during the busy pre-Christmas travel period.
French train operator SNCF said on December 25 that a train driver committed suicide while working, causing a series of train delays on the country's railway system during Christmas.
Around 3,000 train passengers were affected by delays on trains between Paris and southeastern France that began on December 24 and continued into December 25.
The incident caused about 10 TGV express trains to be delayed for up to 5 hours on December 24, following the train driver's suicide on Christmas Eve, a time when many people travel.
The prosecutor's office in Melun, southeast of Paris, said the driver appeared to have jumped from the moving train. His body was later found near the tracks. The driver's identity is not yet known.
The prosecutor's office said that if there was no driver at the controls, the train's automatic emergency procedures would have been activated, causing the train to stop. An investigation into the driver's death is underway.
SNCF confirmed the train driver's death, saying he "took his own life while the train was moving". The company added that there was no threat to the safety of passengers on the train or other services on the network.
SNCF said rail traffic was "gradually restored" on 25 December. However, the company warned of the possibility of some further delays.
Railway operators have offered support, compensation and alternative transport arrangements to those stranded. Officials have expressed their condolences to the train driver 's family, while addressing the mental health challenges of the staff, according to Railway Supply . Enhanced counselling services and stress management programs for railway staff are being considered.
Source: Thanh Nien Newspaper
