Just hours before the Olympic torch relay concludes and the Opening Ceremony begins, France’s high-speed train lines were targeted by several “malicious” acts, including arson, in what has been described as “coordinated sabotage” to disrupt travel ahead of the Games.
France’s state railways company SNCF said the disruption has affected Atlantic, Northern, and Eastern high-speed lines, with damage caused to several of its facilities. SNCF said one of the acts was “foiled.”
SNCF said travel traffic on these lines is “very disrupted,” with the railway network needing to divert and cancel a large number of trains. They outlined that team members are onsite to oversee repairs, however, said the situation is expected to last the entire weekend.
“We ask all travelers to postpone their trip and not to go to the station,” the statement said.
The Rémi Train Centre Val de Loire has also said their train lines will be disrupted until at least Monday, with a fire near the tracks in Courtalain in northern France causing disruptions for travel to Paris.
