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France’s rail network has been thrown into chaos today following a series of arson attacks, just hours before the nation officially opens the 2024 Paris Olympics. 

Travelers have been advised to postpone their trips where possible following the incidents, which France’s transport minister Patrice Vergrete has described as “coordinated malicious acts.” 

The arson attacks that occurred between 1 a.m. and 5:30 a.m. local time have affected several TGV lines in the country.  Paris’s prosecutor’s office has opened an investigation.

According to France’s state-owned railway operator SNCF, its services are expected to be severely affected throughout the weekend after fires were set at various points along lines connecting Paris to the west, north and east. The fires appear to have targeted electrical or signaling boxes, according to reports. 

An SNCF statement said: “Last night, SNCF was the victim of several acts of vandalism on the Atlantic, Northern and Eastern high-speed lines.”

Jean-Pierre Farandou, the CEO of the SNCF told French news network BFM TV” “I am thinking of all the French who won’t be able to go on holiday today or those who will leave in worse conditions.” Adding that the disruption will not be a quick solve. “It will certainly last the whole weekend, because it will take a long time to fix….it’s a day of sadness today.”

Eurostar faces significant disruption along the high-speed line connecting Paris and Lille. Delays are expected to extend the usual journey time by up to an hour and a half and have already forced a slew of cancellations. 

Thus far, the Eurostar website shows extensive delays across all its services throughout today and at least 11 cancellations. The worst affected services currently appear to be connections between Brussels and Paris. 

A Eurostar spokesperson said: “Due to coordinated malicious acts 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.”

“Eurostars teams are fully mobilised in stations, in the call centres, and onboard to ensure that all passengers are informed and can reach their destination.”

The major European rail operator is encouraging its passengers to postpone their trips where they can and allowing its customers to cancel their trips free of charge and receive a full refund. Passengers are also informed that they can modify their journeys free of charge. Eurostar is expected to cancel around one in four trains over the weekend, with disruption stretching into Monday, reports the BBC. 

French-located flight hub EuroAirport Basel-Muhouse-Freiburg, jointly operated by France and Switzerland, temporarily grounded flights this morning following the evacuation and closure of its terminal due to “safety reasons” following a reported bomb alert, according to Reuters. It is unclear whether this is related to the earlier rail arson attacks, and the airport has now been reopened. 

“For safety reasons, the terminal had to be evacuated and is currently closed. Flight operations have been temporarily suspended.” The airport said on X. “Passengers are requested to contact their airline for information about their flight.”

Amélie Oudéa-Castera, the sports minister, said authorities are working to “evaluate the impact on travellers, athletes, and ensure the transport of all delegations to the competition sites”.

It is unclear just how long it will take to get rail services fully operational again, and there is no indication of who may have been responsible for the attacks. This is a developing story, which we will update as we find out more.

Bottom line

Today was due to be one of celebration in France with the opening of the Paris Olympics 2024, one of the most anticipated events of the year. The event has, however, been marred by a series of arson attacks that have severely affected French rail operations. The disruptions are expected to continue into the weekend and passengers due to travel are advised to postpone their trips, wherever possible.