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.
“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.”
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.
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.
It was not immediately clear who perpetrated the incident.
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.
