‘Coordinated Attack’ Sabotages France’s High-Speed Rail Network Ahead of Olympic Opening Ceremony

This story is updating as more information becomes available.

A coordinated attack on France’s high-speed rail network has shut down train travel for hundreds of thousands of travelers headed to today’s opening Olympic ceremony in Paris.

According to reports, and a statement from the rail network SNCF, a string of arson attacks, along with cut cables, and damaged signals along train lines, brought travel to a relative halt around Paris.  The attacks took place on several major train lines that connect Paris to other French cities, including routes to Lille, Strasbourg, Lyon, and Bordeaux.

Here are the locations of the attacks, according to SNCF:

According to the head of the Paris Regional Council, the attacks have affected the plans of 250,000 train passengers, a number that could grow over the weekend.

There has yet to be word on who is responsible, but Prime Minster Gabriel Attal confirmed the attack on Friday morning, writing in a post on social media that “acts of sabotage were carried out in a prepared and coordinated manner” and “the consequences on the rail network are massive and serious.”

“I think of all the French people, all the families, who were preparing to go on vacation. I share their anger and salute their patience, their understanding, and the civic-mindedness they demonstrate,” he added. “Our intelligence services and law enforcement are mobilized to find and punish the perpetrators of these criminal acts.”

Travel impact

Anyone traveling on any major train line that connects to Paris should expect some disruption on Friday.

The head of SNCF, Jean-Pierre Farandou, told a French TV station on Friday morning that the travel disruptions “will certainly last the whole weekend.” Currently, some trains on SNCH are canceled while others are running a couple of hours late.

Eurostar, which runs along those lines, has canceled a number of its scheduled departures for Friday morning, particularly its routes between Paris and Lille, a route that includes travel from the U.K.

It has diverted some departures via the classic line on Friday, a slower line that will extend travel time between the two cities by about an hour and a half. Eurostar has also been forced to change trains on some routes, which alters seating plans onboard.