Rail connections between France and Italy were disrupted until Thursday at the latest after a massive rockfall in the Maurienne valley in the French Alps also blocked some roads, local authorities said Monday.
Savoy authorities said the landslide occurred at 5:15 p.m. Sunday, when “rocks with a total volume of 700 cubic meters” hit a protective barrier along the RD 1006 highway, which leads to the Mont-Cenis pass towards the Italian valley of Susa. .
The landslide forced the suspension of all cross-border trains on the Chambéry-Turin line, as well as regional trains in the Maurienne valley, French rail operator SNCF announced. The Frejus tunnel, which connects France and Italy under the Alps, has also been closed to heavy trucks, whose drivers are advised to use the Mont Blanc tunnel or the A8 motorway.
The French Minister of Transport, Clément Beaune, stated that the return to normality of services will take “several days”.
“After yesterday’s huge landslide in Maurienne, our services are mobilized to restore road and rail service as quickly as possible,” he guaranteed on social media.
Source: TSF
