Officials blamed a "malicious incident" for the fire on Tuesday, which halted rail traffic to Britain and other international destinations.

According to a police official, a fire broke out in an electrical station, prompting an immediate cutoff of power to the rails. Firefighters quickly extinguished the blaze.

A police official told the Associated Press that there was no sign of terrorist intent but that no one had been detained. There was said to have been no danger to passengers. The incident caused some jitters, coming in the wake of a truck attack in the city of Nice last week that killed 84 people.

French rail operator SNCF said traffic would be restarted on other commuter lines but that passengers wishing to cross the English Channel via Eurotunnel would have to wait until Wednesday.

A fire brigade spokesman said that, although the fire had been extinguished, a vital transformer was damaged beyond use. Gare du Nord is also a departure point for international trains to Brussels, Amsterdam and Cologne.

rc/jm (AFP, AP)