European Politicians Reach Disneyland After A Technical Glitch In The Train Signalling

A special chartered train carrying members of the European Parliament and their teams to Strasbourg made an unplanned visit to Disneyland Paris due to a signaling error.

According to The BBC, hundreds of members and staff of the European Parliament were sitting on the train that started in Brussels and was scheduled to reach Strasbourg. But a signaling error on Monday meant they briefly ended up with an unexpected view of rollercoasters.

Officials aboard the train were informed that the diversion was a result of an "error in the route," and they promptly shared their lighthearted take on the situation through social media.

German MEP Daniel Freund joked on X: "We are NOT a Mickey Mouse Parliament."

Another Dutch lawmaker, Samira Rafaela, wrote "Team Disneyland", in a photo posted on social media.

Others tweeted that the mistake highlighted the need for EU lawmakers to just stay in Brussels and stop the regular train journeys, which take nearly four hours, for their monthly four-day plenary sessions in Strasbourg, located in eastern France near the border with Germany.

"Could a new Disneyland be a suitable use for the Strasbourg buildings?" asked Pelle Geertsen, press aide to a Danish MEP, musing on what could happen to them if the European Parliament permanently settled in Brussels.

"And will this inspire a Disney movie?" he asked, suggesting a story about the parliament and a train "that wanted to go on holiday".

The Disneyland Paris stopover was, unfortunately, too short for the MEPs to disembark and indulge in some of the park's rides.

French railway company SNCF told AFP the train was delayed by 45 minutes because a track signalling error made it miss an interconnecting line it was meant to take as it approached the greater Paris region. 

It was eventually shunted back onto the correct high-speed track for Strasbourg.