France trains canceled as hunt for vandals continues
Three out of ten French high-speed trains will be canceled on Saturday due to a series of “coordinated” arson attacks on certain routes.
French Prime Minister Gabriel Attal announced that security forces are actively searching for the “saboteurs” who paralyzed the rail networks on Friday.
The national rail company SNCF reported that the remaining services will experience delays of up to two hours on three major lines running in and out of Paris.
Eurostar passengers will also face ongoing disruptions on Saturday, with a quarter of international trains canceled during the opening weekend of the Olympic Games.
SNCF stated that there has been no claim of responsibility for the damage. The company noted that its staff had “worked all night under difficult conditions in the rain” to repair the damage.
The “strategic” vandalism involved setting fire to cabling boxes at junctions on the North, Brittany, and South-West lines, just hours before the Olympic opening ceremony in the capital.
Saboteurs cut and set fire to specialized fiber optic cables essential for the rail network’s safe operation, according to government officials.
A source connected to the investigation told the AFP news agency that the operation was “well-prepared” and organized by “a single structure”.
Rail workers foiled an attempt to destroy safety equipment on a fourth line.
“At this stage, traffic will remain disrupted on Sunday on the North axis and should improve on the Atlantic axis for weekend returns,” a spokesman for the rail network said on Saturday morning.
SNCF estimated that about 250,000 passengers were affected on Friday, while junior transport minister Patrice Vergriete said as many as 800,000 could be impacted over three days.
Eurostar – which runs international services from London to Paris and uses a high-speed line in France – said one in four of its trains would not run over the weekend.
Travelers have been advised to postpone their journeys, with disruption expected to last until Monday.
Among Eurostar customers affected on Friday was Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, who had planned to travel to the Games’ opening ceremony via train but was forced to fly instead.
