Last updated on August 28th, 2024 at 03:44 pm
Paris: Seven out of ten French high-speed trains will run on three key routes on Saturday, a day after saboteurs paralyzed much of the train network just as the Olympic Games began in Paris. The coordinated attacks occurred at 4:00 am (0200 GMT) early Friday, targeting cabling boxes at junctions north, southwest, and east of the French capital. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attacks, which coincided with the opening ceremony of the Olympics on Friday night.
Rail workers prevented an attempt to sabotage safety equipment on a fourth line; the SNCF rail company called it a “massive attack.”
SNCF added that its agents “worked all night under difficult conditions in the rain to improve traffic on high-speed lines affected by the acts of sabotage.” The statement continued, “On this Sunday, traffic remains disturbed on the North axis and should improve on the Atlantic axis for the weekend returns.” “Customers will be contacted by text message and email to confirm the running of their trains.”
SNCF said 250,000 passengers were affected on Friday. Junior Transport Minister Patrice Vergriete has warned that a further 800,000 passengers could be hit in the next three days. The organized nature of the staged attacks raised fears on how secured the railway infrastructure is during this period of the Olympics.