France’s high-speed train services faced significant disruptions due to multiple acts of “coordinated sabotage” on Friday, just before the Opening Ceremony of the Paris Olympics. The state railway company, SNCF, reported incidents of arson and other malicious activities that aimed to cripple the high-speed rail network.
SNCF described the overnight disruption as a “massive attack aimed at paralyzing the high-speed line network.” In a post on social media platform X, SNCF announced that numerous trains were either diverted or canceled, advising travelers to postpone their trips and avoid stations.
The sabotage affected the Atlantic, Northern, and Eastern high-speed lines, causing extensive damage to several facilities. Although one act of sabotage was thwarted, the disruption severely impacted travel on these routes. SNCF estimated that approximately 800,000 travelers could be affected throughout the weekend as repair crews worked to restore normal operations.
Passengers were seen waiting outside Paris’ Gare du Nord and sitting with their luggage on staircases, frustrated by the sudden upheaval of their travel plans. Raphaël, a traveler at Montparnasse Station in Paris, expressed his exasperation to CNN affiliate BFMTV, having waited since 6 a.m. local time.
The Rémi Train Centre Val de Loire reported that travel on its lines would be disrupted until at least Monday, with a fire near the tracks in Courtalain, northern France, affecting services to Paris. Eurostar, the high-speed train service linking the United Kingdom and France, also faced cancellations and diversions due to the “coordinated acts of malice” on French lines.
Eurostar confirmed that the incidents impacted travel between Paris and Lille, necessitating the diversion of all high-speed trains to and from Paris via the classic line, extending journey times by about an hour and a half. Several trains were canceled, adding to the travel chaos.
These disruptions occurred just hours before the Olympic torch relay concluded and the Opening Ceremony began, with over 320,000 spectators expected to gather along the River Seine. The Paris 2024 Olympic Committee canceled its pre-opening ceremony press conference in light of the incidents, and CNN has reached out to the International Olympic Committee and Paris 2024 for comments.
Amélie Oudéa-Castera, the French Minister of Sports and the Olympic and Paralympic Games, condemned the attacks as “a sort of coordinated sabotage.” Speaking to CNN affiliate BFMTV, she described the acts as “truly appalling,” stating, “Playing against the Games is playing against France, against your camp, against your country.”
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