French Train Services Disrupted by Malicious Attacks Ahead of Paris Olympics

Paris: On Friday, France's high-speed rail network suffered significant disruptions due to a series of "malicious" acts, including arson, which occurred overnight just before the Paris Olympic Games' opening ceremony.

The railway operator SNCF reported that multiple coordinated attacks took place early Friday morning, resulting in fires that damaged facilities and affected fibre optic lines. The high-speed LGV Atlantique line, as well as the northern and eastern lines, were among those impacted. These attacks are expected to cause widespread disruption, affecting hundreds of thousands of passengers throughout the weekend.

The disruptions are likely to affect other domestic and intercity routes as well.

These incidents come just before the Olympic Games' opening ceremony, scheduled to take place along Paris's River Seine at 7:30 p.m. local time (1:30 p.m. ET) on Friday. The event will feature tens of thousands of athletes and spectators, along with a significant police presence.

International Eurostar services were also affected, with disruptions to the high-speed line between Paris and Lille. Eurostar passengers are being rerouted onto slower local lines, extending journey times by about an hour and a half. Several Eurostar trains have been canceled, and the company advised customers to postpone their trips if possible, offering free journey alterations or refunds for cancellations.

In a mid-morning update, Eurostar reiterated its advice for customers to delay their travel plans and provided options for free alterations or refunds.