France’s high-speed rail network hit by arson attacks, canceling trains ahead of Olympics

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July 26, 2024
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Passengers gather around the departure boards at the Gare Montparnasse train station in Paris on July 26, 2024 as France’s high-speed rail network was hit by malicious acts disrupting the transport system hours before the opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.

Thibaud Moritz | Afp | Getty Images

French train services were canceled and delayed on Friday, after the nation’s high-speed rail network faced a series of “malicious” acts overnight, including arson, just ahead of the opening of the Olympic Games in Paris.

Railways operator SNCF said in a statement that its network had experienced several concurrent attacks on Thursday night, with fire damaging its facilities. The high-speed LGV Atlantique line was hit, along with northern and eastern lines, causing knock-on disruption that the operator expected will impact hundreds of thousands of people.

“Following this massive attack aiming to paralyze the high-speed line network, a large number of trains were diverted or canceled,” SNCF said, according to a CNBC translation, advising those who are able to not to travel to the station. Ticket holders on disrupted journeys will be contacted by email or text, it added.

The knock-on effect is expected to cause delays on other domestic and intercity routes.

The attacks come just ahead of the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games, due to take place along Paris’s River Seine at 7:30 p.m. local time (1:30 p.m. ET) on Friday. The display is set to feature tens of thousands of athletes and spectators along with a heavy police presence.

The impact also hit international Eurostar services, which connect the U.K., France, Belgium, the Netherlands and Germany.

“Due to coordinated acts of malice in France, affecting the high speed line between Paris and Lille, all high speed trains going to and coming from Paris are being diverted via the classic line today Friday 26 July. This extends the journey time by around an hour and a half,” Eurostar said in a statement.

“Several trains have been cancelled.”

Scenes around Hôtel de Ville prior to the 2024 Olympic Games on July 22, 2024 in Paris, France.

Carmen Mandato | Getty Images

Social media posts which have not been independently verified by CNBC said that passengers were being transferred onto local services at Lille to head on to Paris due to the theft of cables on the high-speed line. CNBC has contacted Eurostar for comment.

‘The celebration is spoiled’

Transport Minister Patrice Vergriete condemned what he described as “criminal acts” that were carried out simultaneously at several locations. Vergiete told a press briefing that an investigation is underway, according to NBC News reporting.

In a briefing to French television, SNCF President Jean-Pierre Farrandou said 800,000 people would be affected by the disruption.

“We are so sorry to not be able to circulate the trains expected by the French. Today the major departure lines are attacked, an attack on the French,” Farrandou said, according to an NBC News translation.

“The celebration is spoiled.”

It was not immediately clear who perpetrated the incident. Farrandou said the attacks were carried out at 4 in the morning across several locations, with fibre optic lines affected and explosive material found on sites. Thousands of workers will be mobilized to re-establish the lines, he added.

Protestors and activists have spoken out against several issues surrounding the games in recent weeks, flagging the environmental and social impact of the proceedings and the inclusion of Israeli athletes amid the ongoing war in the Gaza Strip.

French officials have been on high alert for disruption to the Games, with 45,000 police officers due to be deployed for the opening ceremony, according to Reuters. Tensions are particularly high due to the recent assassination attempt on former U.S. President Donald Trump, as well as Paris’s history with deadly terror attacks.

Areas of the city center, including around the Louvre, Notre Dame and the Eiffel Tower, have been restricted to access only via a QR code or to workers.

“There has been a bit of complexity around the environment in terms of being able to secure around the Seine, so the traffic has been a bit complicated, walking around has been a bit complicated, but I’m sure we’ll have an absolutely outstanding opening ceremony today and a great Olympics,” Aiman Ezzat, CEO of French tech firm Capgemini, told CNBC’s “Squawk Box Europe” early Friday.