With just hours to go until the Opening Ceremony for the Paris 2024 Olympics, chaos has hit the country’s transport network. On the night of Thursday 25 July, a series of fires spread across France’s high-speed rail lines, causing delays, cancellations and disruptions to the rail system.
The fires were a result of coordinated attacks from arsonists. It’s not clear the reasons behind the sabotage, but France’s transport minister has condemned them as “malicious acts” and the chief of rail company SNCF has described them as “premeditated, calculated, coordinated” and said there was a “desire to seriously harm”, according to Sky News.
The attack comes as travellers begin flocking to the city – BBC has reported that more than 250,000 people will be affected by the disruption on Friday 26 July, and up to 800,000 will be impacted over the course of the weekend. Those attempting to reach Paris from the UK are being told there will be delays of at least 90 minutes.
“Due to coordinated acts of vandalism 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,” reads a statement from Eurostar. “This extends the journey time by around an hour and a half. Several trains have been cancelled.” Travellers are able to cancel or change their journey for free while the situation is resolved.
Rail systems within Paris appear unaffected, but travellers should note that several Metro and RER stations in the city centre have closed for the Opening Ceremony.
The news comes as the rest of the French travel industry sees a standstill. Paris’ three airports will close for the evening of Friday 26 July and The French government announced a “no-fly zone” spanning a radius of 80 nautical miles during the Olympic Opening Ceremony, from 6.30pm until midnight.