Baby born on Paris suburban train gets free rides until 25

A woman gave birth on a Paris train on Monday, prompting the French capital's transport network to offer her newborn boy free rail travel until he turns 25. The train stopped at the Auber station in central Paris as the woman went into advanced labour and the baby was born at 11.40, helped by around 15 people including emergency workers, police and rail staff.
Trains were halted in both directions on a particularly busy section of the RER A commuter line for 45 minutes due to the "unexpected" incident, Paris transport operator RATP said. The train was evacuated during the birth, a spokesperson said.
Rescue workers took care of the mother and child and brought them to the nearest hospital. News of the "unannounced birth" was displayed on Paris train traffic screens.
"To our knowledge, everyone is doing well," he said of the mother and baby.
"The RATP congratulates the mum and intends to offer the child free travel on its network until he is 25 years old."
The RER A line issued its "sincere congratulations" to the baby's mother – and tweeted that traffic was back to normal.
Valerie Pecresse, head of transport in the Paris region, also offered her congratulations, but added in a tweet: "Thoughts with the travellers too."
Lots of Parisians happily welcomed the birth on social media. Others, however, noted the RATP's gift wasn't all good news, saying that Paris train traffic is frequently disrupted by strikes and other incidents.