jamesontheroad
OBS Chief
This is an old news clip from France-2 TV dating from 2003. If you haven't seen it, it's quite an eye opener.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7a9BhoR02SY
Rough translation:
"After an RER [ Paris suburban ] train breaks down, the passengers evacuate onto the tracks, only to find another train heading towards them on the adjacent track. No victims - a miracle. How did it happen that so many passengers found themselves on a railway line that was still open to traffic? At 18.45 on Saturday, an RER broke down a few hundred metres from the station of Villeneuve-Triage. Inside, the conductor's message was to leave the train, and the doors opened onto the tracks, not the "platform" side. They had to move fast - a small group of passengers found themselves trapped between the two trains, like Virginie, 23 years old..."
"We were very scared, because we had no visibility as the train passed very close to us, because it was travelling at speed towards Paris. I really thought I was going to die."
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7a9BhoR02SY
Rough translation:
"After an RER [ Paris suburban ] train breaks down, the passengers evacuate onto the tracks, only to find another train heading towards them on the adjacent track. No victims - a miracle. How did it happen that so many passengers found themselves on a railway line that was still open to traffic? At 18.45 on Saturday, an RER broke down a few hundred metres from the station of Villeneuve-Triage. Inside, the conductor's message was to leave the train, and the doors opened onto the tracks, not the "platform" side. They had to move fast - a small group of passengers found themselves trapped between the two trains, like Virginie, 23 years old..."
"We were very scared, because we had no visibility as the train passed very close to us, because it was travelling at speed towards Paris. I really thought I was going to die."