France: Rail network hit by ‘malicious acts’ hours before Olympic ceremony

This comes amid Paris gearing up for the opening ceremony of the Summer Olympics, with 300,000 spectators expected at the event

PGurus Newsdesk

July 26, 2024

This comes amid Paris gearing up for the opening ceremony of the Summer Olympics, with 300,000 spectators expected at the event

Massive attack on French rail network brings travel chaos ahead of Olympic opening ceremony

The high-speed rail network of France faced significant disruptions due to “malicious acts,” including arson attacks, SNCF, the state-owned railway operator reported on Friday.

These incidents occurred just hours before the Paris Olympics‘ opening ceremony, severely affecting the transport system. The coordinated sabotage occurred as France deployed tens of thousands of police and soldiers for heightened security in Paris, diverting resources from across the country for the Olympic events.

Vandals damaged signal boxes along the lines connecting Paris with cities such as Lille in the north, Bordeaux in the west, and Strasbourg in the east. Another attack on the Paris-Marseille line was foiled, SNCF said.

“SNCF was the victim of several simultaneous malicious acts overnight. The attacks affected Atlantic, northern, and eastern lines. This is a massive attack on a large scale to paralyze the TGV network,” SNCF said adding that many routes will have to be cancelled.

“Arson attacks were started to damage our facilities,” it said, adding that traffic on the affected lines was “heavily disrupted” and the situation would last through the weekend as repairs are conducted.

This comes amid Paris gearing up for the opening ceremony of the Summer Olympics, with 300,000 spectators and an audience of VIPs expected at the event.

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