French rail company SNCF is facing a weekend of disruption and chaos following coordinated arson attacks on three high-speed TGV lines on Friday. The attacks, which Prime Minister Gabriel Attal described as “acts of sabotage,” have already affected hundreds of thousands of passengers and could continue to impact travel until the end of the weekend.
The attacks, which occurred just hours before the opening ceremony for the Paris Olympics, led to the cancellation of a quarter of international Eurostar trains, including those of UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer. Despite the challenges, SNCF has assured passengers that traffic will gradually improve on affected lines thanks to the efforts of thousands of rail workers.
According to SNCF, trains on the eastern line will run normally from 06:00 on Saturday, while the northern and south-western lines will see 80% and 60% of trains running, respectively, with delays of 1-2 hours. The company has also stated that customers will be notified of any delays or cancellations via email or text message.
Eurostar has announced that about a fifth of its services over the weekend will be cancelled, with all trains facing delays of around 1.5 hours. The company, which uses the northern high-speed line, is working to minimize the impact on passengers.
In response to the attacks, SNCF has increased surveillance of the rail network using 1,000 workers and 50 drones. Junior Transport Minister Patrice Vergriete estimates that up to 800,000 passengers could face delays and cancellations by Monday, with disrupting holiday travel being the likely aim of the saboteurs.
While no group has claimed responsibility for the attacks, government officials have described them as a “well-prepared” and organized operation. Security forces are actively searching for those responsible, as prosecutors have opened an investigation into attacks on “the fundamental interests of the nation.”
The disruption comes at a busy time for holiday travel, with the last weekend of July traditionally seeing a high volume of passengers. SNCF is working to restore normalcy to its services and ensure the safety and security of its passengers in the wake of these attacks.
