By T. Jayani, JadeTimes News
On Saturday, three out of ten French high speed trains will be cancelled on routes impacted by a series of "co-ordinated" arson attacks. French Prime Minister Gabriel Attal announced that security forces are continuing their search for the "saboteurs" responsible for the disruption, which occurred just before the opening of the Olympic Games.
The national rail company, SNCF, stated that the services running on Saturday will experience delays of up to two hours on major lines in and out of Paris. Additionally, a quarter of Eurostar services will be cancelled. The transport minister assured that normal service would resume by Monday morning. So far, no group has claimed responsibility for the attacks.
SNCF reported that their staff worked through the night under challenging conditions to repair the damage. The "strategic" vandalism involved setting fire to cabling boxes at junctions on the North, Brittany, and South West lines just hours before the Olympic opening ceremony in Paris. The saboteurs cut and set fire to specialized fiber optic cables crucial for the safe operation of the rail network.
An investigation source told the AFP news agency that the attack was "well prepared" and organized by "a single structure." Rail workers thwarted an attempt to destroy safety equipment on a fourth line.
A spokesman for the rail network said that traffic would remain disrupted on Sunday on the North axis but should improve on the Atlantic axis for weekend returns. On Friday, SNCF estimated that around 250,000 passengers were affected, with junior transport minister Patrice Vergriete indicating that up to 800,000 people could be impacted over the three days.
Eurostar, which runs international services from London to Paris and uses a high speed line in France, announced that one in four of its trains would not operate over the weekend. Travellers are advised to postpone their journeys, with disruptions expected to last until Monday.
Among those affected on Friday was Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, who had planned to travel to the Olympic opening ceremony by train but was forced to fly instead.
