Lagatar24 Desk
Paris: France’s high-speed rail network suffered significant disruption on Friday due to “malicious acts,” including arson attacks, just hours before the opening ceremony of the Paris Olympics. The train operator SNCF reported that these coordinated acts of “sabotage” severely impacted the transport system.
“This is a massive attack on a large scale to paralyse the TGV network,” SNCF informed AFP, adding that numerous routes will have to be cancelled. The attacks affected the Atlantic, northern, and eastern lines, leading to heavy disruptions that will likely last through the weekend as repairs are conducted.
Transport Minister Patrice Vergriete condemned the sabotage as an “outrageous criminal act,” warning of “very serious consequences” for rail traffic over the weekend. SNCF’s CEO, Jean-Pierre Farandou, stated that approximately 800,000 passengers were affected. Trains are being diverted to alternative tracks, but many cancellations are expected.
SNCF urged passengers to postpone their trips and avoid train stations. The southeastern line was not impacted due to a “malicious act being foiled.”
The sabotage comes as Paris is under heavy security ahead of the Summer Olympics’ opening ceremony, which is expected to draw 300,000 spectators and numerous VIPs. The ceremony will feature up to 7,500 competitors traveling down a six-kilometre stretch of the river Seine on 85 boats. This event marks the first time a Summer Olympics has opened outside the main athletics stadium, a decision made while France remains on high alert for terror attacks.
At Paris’s Montparnasse train station, dozens of passengers waited for updates on their delayed trips, with delays ranging from 30 minutes to almost two hours. “Normal traffic is expected to resume on Monday, July 29,” read a sign in the departure hall.
“We arrived around 7:00 am but were told we might not be able to leave before Monday,” said Jocelyn, a 27-year-old student traveling to Bretagne, who declined to give her full name. “We expected it to be a bit chaotic in Paris with the opening ceremony scheduled for this evening, but we didn’t think it could be this bad.”
