British billionaire Richard Branson's Virgin Group aims to raise 700 million pounds ($900 million) to fund its bid to launch cross-channel rail services to compete with Eurostar, the Financial Times reported on Sunday.

The police successfully defused the explosive device, which weighs more than 1,000 pounds and was found near tracks north of the French capital during landscaping work.

Virgin Group, led by British billionaire Richard Branson, plans to raise 700 million pounds to fund a cross-channel rail service that will compete with Eurostar. The group looks to gather 300 million in equity and 400 million in debt,

The unexploded bomb was discovered overnight in the Saint-Denis suburb of Paris during works on the tracks, halting the Eurostar and all other local trains at Gare du Nord, France’s busiest station. Impacted Eurostar travellers are being asked to move their journey to a different date.

Trump has long signaled his intention to close the department, but fully eliminating it will require Congress to act. If the Trump administration succeeds in pushing an end to the department, some programs and funding could be retained and shifted to other agencies.

Services to London and Brussels were hit, Eurostar said. French transport minister Philippe Tabarot said that train services will gradually resume and roads will reopen later Friday from 6pm local ...