Following a significant rockslide in the Maurienne region of the French Alps that also closed some highways, officials stated Monday that train service between France and Italy has been suspended until at least Thursday.
The rockslide, according to regional officials in Savoie, happened at 5:15 p.m. (1515 GMT) on Sunday when “boulders with a total volume of 700 cubic metres (25,000 cubic feet)” slammed through a protective barrier along the RD 1006 road that goes to the Mont-Cenis pass into Italy’s Susa valley.
According to French rail operator SNCF, the landslide forced the suspension of all cross-border trains on the Chambery-Turin line as well as TER regional trains in the Maurienne valley.
Heavy truck drivers are urged to use the Mont Blanc tunnel or the A8 road in its place as the Frejus tunnel, which connects France and Italy beneath the Alps, has also been closed to them.
A resumption to regular services “will require several days,” according to Clement Beaune, minister of transport for France.
“After this massive landslide yesterday in Maurienne, our services are mobilised to restore road and rail service as quickly as possible,” he said on social media.
