‘Malicious acts’ hit French high-speed trains
Passengers at the Gare Montparnasse train station in Paris as trains were delayed. Photo: Getty
France’s high-speed rail network has been hit with widespread and “criminal” acts of vandalism including arson attacks, paralysing travel to Paris from across the rest of France and Europe only hours before the grand opening ceremony of the Olympics.
French officials described the attacks as “criminal actions” and said they were investigating whether they were linked to the Olympic Games.
The disruptions as the world’s eye was turning to Paris were expected to affect a quarter of a million people alone on Friday and endure through the weekend, and possibly longer, officials said.
Transport Minister Patrice Vergriete described people fleeing from the scene of fires and the discovery of incendiary devices.
“Everything indicates that these are criminal fires,” he said on Friday.
The incidents paralysed several high-speed lines linking Paris to the rest of France and to neighbouring countries, Vergriete said, speaking on BFM television.
The attack occurred against a backdrop of global tensions and heightened security measures as the city prepared for the 2024 Olympic Games.
Transport Minister Patrice Vergriete said in a post on X he “firmly condemns these criminal incidents”, and SNCF was working to restore traffic.
Sports Minister Amelie Oudea-Castera said authorities were working to “evaluate the impact on travellers, athletes and ensure the transport of all delegations to the competition sites” for the Olympics.
Speaking on BFM television, she said: “Playing against the Games is playing against France, against your own camp, against your country.”
She did not identify who was behind the vandalism.
Paris police chief Laurent Nunez, speaking on France Info radio, said he would send police reinforcement to overcrowded train stations in relation to the SNCF incidents.
Passengers at St Pancras station in London were warned to expect delays to their Eurostar journeys.
Announcements in the departure hall at the international terminus informed travellers heading to Paris that there was a problem with overhead power supplies.
