Major technical attack on rail network in France before Paris Olympics opening
A major attack has taken place on the train network just hours before the opening of the Olympics 2024 in Paris. French railway company SNCF said on Friday that the high-speed TGV network has been severely damaged. Its aim is to weaken the country’s high-speed network.
SNCF has appealed to all passengers to postpone their journey. Efforts are underway to repair the fault in the train network. Train operator SNCF said on Friday, just hours before the opening ceremony of the Paris Olympics, that France’s high-speed rail network has been hit by ‘malicious acts’ including arson, which has completely stopped the operation of trains.
Incidents happened in a series
A source associated with the investigation told AFP that these attacks also include ‘sabotage’. SNCF told AFP, ‘This is a major attack carried out on a large scale to paralyze the TGV network.’ He said that trains on many routes have been cancelled. The national rail operator said, ‘SNCF was the victim of several malicious acts overnight.’ He said that the Atlantic, Northern and Eastern lines were affected in these attacks.
It will take time for the trains to resume operations
It is being said that arson was done to disrupt the rail network, due to these incidents the rail network has been completely disrupted. It may take a few days for the high speed trains to resume operations. The statement said that trains are being sent to different tracks, ‘but we will have to cancel a large number of trains.’
8 lakh passengers affected
The statement said that the South-Eastern line was not affected at the moment. Because the attacks in these areas have been thwarted. SNCF has appealed to the passengers to postpone their journeys and stay away from the railway stations. It is being said that 8 lakh passengers have been affected by this attack.
Transport Minister condemns attack
Des actes de malveillance coordonnés ont visé cette nuit plusieurs lignes TGV et perturberont fortement le trafic jusqu’à ce week-end. Je condamne fermement ces agissements criminels qui vont compromettre les départs en vacances de nombreux Français. Un grand merci aux équipes de…
— Patrice Vergriete (@P_Vergriete) July 26, 2024
Eurostar also said that its rail services between London and Paris have been disrupted due to the incidents of vandalism. Due to this, many trains have been cancelled and many trains are delayed. Transport Minister Patrice Vergriete has condemned these incidents through a post on X, calling them criminal.
