Accordingly, 5 trains on Line 4 were stuck since 5:25 p.m. (local time) on June 14 (0:25 a.m. June 15, Vietnam time) and had to wait in the tunnel connecting the stations. Many users shared on social media images of passengers jostling each other inside the train cars, raising concerns about the condition of the elderly and children on the train. All passengers were then taken out of the train cars and moved through the tunnels to the next station.

A subway train in Paris. Photo: Reuters

RATP has apologised for the incident and regrets the impact on customers. The company said it is working to resolve the issue as best it can. RATP CEO Jean Castex, a former French Prime Minister, has called for an internal investigation to determine the causes of the rare incident.

The Paris Metro is one of the oldest urban transport systems in the world and has been featured in many famous films. However, a growing number of passengers have complained about overcrowding, aging facilities and concerns about its ability to accommodate tourists visiting France during the 2024 Paris Olympics.

Efforts to modernize the system are underway, with Line 4 also being gradually modernized into a driverless system. In 2022, French President Emmanuel Macron offered former Prime Minister Castex the position of head of RATP, hoping his experience would help solve the problems of the metro system.

VNA