Two trains on the tracks at the SNCF Sud-Est Europeen Bercy station in the 12th arrondissement of Paris, France, on July 7, 2024. (Photo by Ricardo Milani/Hans Lucas/Hans Lucas via AFP) (Photo by Ricardo Milani/Hans Lucas/AFP via Getty Images )
Ricardo Milani | Ricardo Milani AFP | Getty Images
French rail operator SNCF said on Friday that its network faced “malicious behavior”, including arson attacks that led to the cancellation of train services on the eve of the Paris Olympics.
SNCF said in a statement that its network suffered multiple concurrent attacks on Thursday night and that fire damaged its facilities. The high-speed LGV Atlantique route from Paris to the coast is affected, as well as the northern and eastern routes.
“Following this large-scale attack aimed at paralyzing the high-speed rail network, a large number of trains were diverted or canceled,” SNCF said, according to a CNBC translation, and advised those who were able not to go to stations. It added that ticket holders whose journeys were interrupted will be contacted via email or text message.
The knock-on effect affected Eurostar services linking the UK, France, Belgium, the Netherlands and Germany.
“Due to a coordinated malicious act in France affecting the high-speed line between Paris and Lille, all high-speed trains in and out of Paris will be diverted to the classic route today, Friday 26 July. This will extend journey times by approximately one and a half hours​​ ,” Eurostar said in a statement to Reuters.
“Many trains have been cancelled.”
Social media posts, which CNBC has not independently verified, said passengers were being transferred to local services in Lille to Paris because cables on the high-speed line were stolen. CNBC has contacted Eurostar for comment.
This is a breaking news story and will be updated soon.
