Arsonists Hit France Rail Network Ahead of Olympics Opening Ceremony

July 26, 2024
The attacks were designed to paralyze the system and cause widespread disruption, officials said.

dpa

(TNS)

Paris — French railway officials said progress has been made on repairing the high-speed rail network on Friday, hours after arson attacks disrupted service just ahead of the opening ceremony for the Paris Olympic Games.

Every third scheduled train on the high-speed line from Paris to the south-west can now run again, the state railroad SNCF announced on Friday afternoon. However, travellers still have to prepare for delays of between one and a half and two hours.

On the high-speed line to the north, which is also used by trains from Cologne, London and Brussels, there are still isolated cancellations of trains as well as similar delays.

On the eastern line, trains between Paris and Nancy/Metz can run as planned again following repair work, SNCF said. On the eastward route from Paris to Strasbourg, there are still delays of around one hour and some train cancellations, according to SNCF.

The railroad said workers are continuing to work at full speed to repair the damage. However, further disruptions are to be expected over the weekend.

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