Hundreds of members and staff of the European Parliament had a surprise when their train from Brussels to the French city of Strasbourg ended up at Disneyland Paris instead.
The special train is chartered once a month to get MEPs between parliament's seats in Brussels and Strasbourg. But a signalling error on Monday meant they briefly ended up with an unexpected view of rollercoasters.
One MEP posted: “We are NOT a Mickey Mouse parliament.” While many made light of the mix-up, some said it highlighted the need to stay in Belgium to do business rather than travelling to the north-eastern French city.
“Could a new Disneyland be a suitable use for the Strasbourg buildings?” asked Pelle Geertsen, press aide to a Danish MEP, on the issue of whether the European Parliament could permanently settle in Brussels.
The stopover was not long enough for the MEPs and their aides to sample the rides as the delay lasted just 45 minutes.
French railway company SNCF told AFP news agency a track signalling error had made the train miss an interconnecting line it was meant to take as it approached the greater Paris region.
It was eventually put back on to the correct track for Strasbourg.
— CutC by bbc.com
