PARIS — France’s national rail operator SNCF has introduced new safety rules for handling pets on train tracks, two years after a cat named Neko was fatally struck by a high-speed train in Paris.
The incident occurred in 2023, when Neko escaped from a travel bag and fell onto the tracks at Montparnasse station. Despite urgent pleas from the owners to delay the departure, the Paris-to-Bordeaux TGV train left on schedule with 800 passengers on board. The train ran over the cat, cutting it in two.
At the time, SNCF claimed the animal was “not visible.” The case triggered widespread public outrage and legal action. Neko’s owners later sued SNCF but lost on appeal.
In response, SNCF has now adopted formal guidelines to handle similar situations. According to a protocol seen by AFP, trains can now be delayed for up to 20 minutes if a pet is reported missing on the tracks.
The new rules were outlined in a memo to SNCF staff on May 15. A spokesperson from SNCF Réseau, which manages the rail infrastructure, said the protocol “formalises practices that have always been in place” and are applied “with common sense and humanity.”
Under the rules, once a passenger alerts staff about a missing pet, workers have 10 minutes to search for the animal from the platform. If spotted, staff are allowed up to 10 more minutes to try to remove the animal without stepping into dangerous areas.
If the pet cannot be safely recovered, the train must proceed at very low speed to give the animal a final chance to escape.
Following Neko’s death, then Transport Minister Clément Beaune had urged the SNCF chief executive to review internal procedures and explore all possible improvements.
The new measures aim to prevent such tragedies from happening again, balancing animal welfare with passenger safety and train schedules.
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