According to France’s national railway operator, SNCF, the country experienced disruptions in high-speed rail traffic today, shortly before the commencement of the 2024 Olympic Games opening ceremony in Paris, due to a string of “malevolent acts” such as arson and cable theft.
SNCF posted on X (formerly Twitter) that several TGV lines, such as the Atlantic, Northern, and Eastern routes, were affected by sabotage. Saboteurs caused damage by setting fires and stealing cables at the Courtalain, Pagny-sur-Moselle, and Croisilles junctions of the high-speed network. Additionally, an attempted attack in Verginy on the South-Eastern line was successfully prevented.
The French authorities have denounced the attacks, stating that they were intended to destabilize France, particularly as they occurred at the beginning of the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris.
According to the railway network operator, a significant amount of trains are either being rerouted or cancelled, as the CEO of the company, Jean-Pierre Farandou, projected that a minimum of 800,000 passengers will face inconvenience due to the disturbance.
Farandou declared that the perpetrators are a “gang of irrational, irresponsible individuals who believed it was clever to hinder us from carrying out our duties,” emphasizing that they are attacking a part of France through the SNCF.
France’s Transport Minister Patrice Vergriete stated that the attacks were intentional, as all actions were coordinated simultaneously, with the suspects’ vehicles discovered at the scenes. As of now, no individual or group has come forward to claim responsibility for the assault, and law enforcement has not made any arrests.
Vergriete expressed on X his strong disapproval of these criminal acts that will disrupt the holiday departures of numerous French citizens. Minister for Sports Amelie Oudea-Castera labeled the attacks as “acts of sabotage” during her appearance on BFMTV.
“It is absolutely disgraceful. It undermines the [Olympic] Games and goes against the interests of France,” he declared.
According to French government officials, the country’s intelligence services and law enforcement have been “activated” to investigate the attacks and apprehend the perpetrators.
SNCF, in an official announcement, advised all passengers who have the flexibility to delay their journeys to consider doing so or opt for the conventional (non-high-speed) routes until the TGV services are back to normal.
Although repairs are already underway, they are anticipated to persist until at least Monday. Matthieu Chabanel, the head of maintenance at the SNCF, described the repairs task as ‘significant’ saying that there are numerous wires that need to be reconnected individually to control safety devices. Following this, thorough testing is required.
