Suspected suicide: an 18-year-old woman killed on train tracks near Caen

Emergency services, including police, ambulance and coroner, responded to the scene. The situation took a long time to be resolved, causing significant delays on the Paris-Cherbourg line until almost one o'clock this morning (Saturday, 3rd January).

The train driver in shock

The driver of the train, which struck and killed the eighteen-year-old, was badly shaken by the events and transported to Caen's CHU hospital late last night. At the time of the collision, the train was transporting around eighty-five passengers who were later transported by bus to Caen.

The young woman who was killed is believed to have taken the "chemin de Courcelles" from the "parc de Mondeville" and deliberately made her way toward the tracks. Police are now saying the collision was likely a suicide, though a formal investigation has yet to determine the precise circumstances surrounding the event.

Heavy train delays during the night

As a result of the crash, some trains destined for Cherbourg were halted in Paris-Saint-Lazare station for multiple hours, whilst others terminated in Caen, never reaching their final destination in the Manche département.

The night's delays aren't expected to impact travel times this morning.