Travel chaos in Paris as rail network targeted by 'malicious acts' ahead of Olympics
French train operator SNCF has announced that the nation's high-speed rail network has been targeted by "malicious acts," including arson attacks, causing significant disruptions just before the start of the 2024 Paris Olympics.
On Friday, just before the grand opening ceremony of the Olympics, France’s high-speed national rail network was "sabotaged."
"This is a massive attack on a large scale to paralyze the TGV network," the state-owned train operator told AFP, adding that many routes would have to be canceled.
"A large number of trains were diverted or canceled," SNCF said in a social media post, urging "all travelers who can to postpone their trip and not go to the station."
SNCF CEO Jean-Pierre Farandou stated that the disruptions "will certainly last the whole weekend, because it will take a long time to fix," calling it a "day of sadness." He emphasized that the railways' role as a public service is to transport people when they need it, especially during the Olympics, and "today we can't do it."
The disruptions, expected to affect approximately 800,000 passengers, are anticipated to continue throughout the weekend as maintenance crews work on repairs.
France’s Prime Minister Gabriel Attal said that the "acts of sabotage" were carried out in a "prepared and coordinated manner on SNCF installations." French security forces are searching for the culprits, Attal added.
The organizers of this year's Olympic Games, Paris 2024, said they were "assessing the situation" following the attack on the country's high-speed rail network. "Paris 2024 has taken note of incidents affecting the Atlantic, North and East lines of the SNCF rail network. We are working closely with our partner, the rail operator SNCF, to assess the situation," they said in a statement.
Transport Minister Patrice Vergriete condemned the "massive attack" on France’s high-speed TGV rail network as an "outrageous criminal act."
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