In a scene reminiscent of the Wild West, a gang of robbers halted and raided a freight train in the Ardèche region of southeastern France during the night between 21 and 22 March 2025, stealing part of its load of household appliances. According to reports, the train was brought to a halt near the village of Saint-Montan, where it stopped at a level crossing. Once the train had come to a complete stop, the gang accessed several of the wagons and transferred the cargo into vehicles waiting nearby before fleeing the scene.
Such events remain rare in Europe, though this is not the first of its kind in France. A similar incident took place in September 2021, when a freight train travelling between Lyon and Clermont-Ferrand was forced to stop near Riom, in the Puy-de-Dôme department. In that case, the thieves had tampered with railway signals to force the train to a halt, and then used angle grinders to break into containers and steal Christmas decorations and flat-pack furniture.
Attacks on industrial vehicles are more frequent, even in France, and tend to occur mainly along the motorways. In early 2025, French authorities uncovered a gang specialising in this type of crime, which had stolen goods worth around 400,000 euros between May and June 2023, primarily on motorways around Paris, including the A1, A6 and A10.
