Paris: In a concerning incident, France's high-speed TGV rail network was targeted by vandals in a series of coordinated actions that brought major disruption to some of the country's busiest rail lines ahead of the Paris Olympics opening ceremony on Friday. The operator said arsonists had targeted installations along the lines connecting the capital Paris with important cities on the high-risk opening day.
The TGV network urged all travellers to postpone their journeys while repairs were underway. The traffic is expected to remain severely disrupted until the end of the weekend and trains are being sent back to their points of departure. Rail operator SNCF attributed the incidents to several “malicious acts” that heavily disrupted traffic on the day of the high-risk Olympics opening ceremony.
The TGV is France's intercity high-speed rail service operated mainly by SNCF. "Last night, the SNCF was the victim of several acts of vandalism on the Atlantic, Northern and Eastern high-speed lines. Fires were deliberately set to damage our installations," the SNCF said in a statement. The incidents came despite heavy security arrangements on Friday as the Olympics begin today.
Over 8 lakh people affected
The state-owned railway operator said arsonists had damaged signal boxes along the lines connecting Paris with cities such as Lille in the north, Bordeaux in west and Strasbourg in the east. Another attack on the Paris-Marseille line was foiled. Hundreds of thousands of people were left stranded.
SNCF chief Jean-Pierre Farandou said some 800,000 customers had been impacted ahead of a busy weekend for French holidaymakers. Thousands of rail staff had been deployed to repair the damage. "This attack is not a coincidence, it's an effort to destabilise France," Valerie Pecresse, president of the Paris region, told reporters.
Government officials condemn attacks
More than 45,000 police, 10,000 soldiers and 2,000 private security agents were deployed throughout the country to avoid any unwanted situation on the high-risk day. Snipers will be on rooftops and drones keeping watch from the air. There was no immediate claim of responsibility and no indication of whether the action was politically related.
Meanwhile, government officials condemned the incidents on the highly-anticipated day as train services to neighbouring countries under the English Channel remained affected. French Transport Minister Patrice Vergriete described the acts as criminal and the Paris police chief said he was beefing up security yet further at the capital's main stations.
"It's completely appalling. To target the games is to target France," said Sports Minister Amelie Oudea-Castera. Paris 2024 said it was working closely with the SNCF to assess the situation. Swiss rail operator SBB said traffic from Switzerland to France was not currently impacted by the rail disruptions in Paris. However, London-based rail company Eurostar said its services between London and Paris had been disrupted by acts of vandalism in France.
Paris Olympics 2024
The French capital is making its final preparations for the Olympics ahead of the Opening Ceremony on Friday while the early sporting action has continued with archery, handball, rugby sevens and football teams all in action. For the first time in history, the ceremony will not be conducted inside a stadium and the traditional parade of nations will take place along the Seine River in Paris.
Over 10000 Olympic athletes will travel on around 100 boats that will cruise through Seine passing through iconic destinations in Paris like Notre Dame, Pont des Arts, Pont Neuf and more. The floating parade will start from the Austerlitz bridge beside the Jardin des Plantes and end at the Trocadéro where shows will take place. Overall, the opening ceremony is expected to last for more than three hours.
The 33rd edition of the Olympics opening ceremony in Paris will commence at 11 PM IST (7:30 PM CEST). PV Sindhu and Sharath Kamal, competing in Badminton and table tennis respectively, are India's flag bearers at the opening ceremony.
(with inputs from agencies)
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