‘Malicious acts’ disrupt French trains before Olympics

| July 26, 2024

High-speed trains around France have been hit by several “malicious acts” that heavily disrupted traffic on the day of the high-risk opening ceremony of the Paris Olympics, according to the national rail company SNCF.

Travel to and from London beneath the English Channel, to neighbouring Belgium, and across the west, north and east of France on Friday were affected by what SNCF called a series of co-ordinated overnight incidents.

Government officials denounced the incidents hours before the opening ceremony of the Paris Olympics, which are happening around France, though there was no immediate sign of a link to the Games.

National police said authorities were investigating what happened.

French media reported a big fire on a busy western route.

Transport Minister Patrice Vergriete said in a post on X he “firmly condemns these criminal incidents”, and SNCF was working to restore traffic.

Sports Minister Amelie Oudea-Castera said authorities were working to “evaluate the impact on travellers, athletes and ensure the transport of all delegations to the competition sites” for the Olympics.

Speaking on BFM television, she said: “Playing against the Games is playing against France, against your own camp, against your country.”

She did not identify who was behind the vandalism.

Paris police chief Laurent Nunez, speaking on France Info radio, said he would send police reinforcement to overcrowded train stations in relation to the SNCF incidents.

Passengers at St Pancras station in London were warned to expect delays of about an hour to their Eurostar journeys.

Announcements in the departure hall at the international terminus informed travellers heading to Paris that there was a problem with overhead power supplies.