France sabotaged railway ahead of Olympics: disruptions may continue until end of weekend

In France, there were sabotage acts on the railway before the Olympics: disruptions may continue until the end of the weekend Vladislav Kravtsov

There was sabotage of the railway before the Olympics/Collage 24 Channel

In France, on July 26, before the opening of the Olympics in Paris, the high-speed rail network was damaged. There was sabotage, causing chaos and travel complications for passengers.

The disruptions in the railway may continue until the end of the weekend. Despite this, the opening of the 2024 Olympics in Paris was a success.

What is known about the enemy sabotage on the railway in France

The French state railway company SNCF reported that saboteurs either damaged or attempted to damage five signal boxes and electrical installations on the railway between 01:00 and 05:30 on Friday, July 26.

One site was at Courtalin, east of Le Mans and 150 kilometres southwest of Paris. SNCF spoke of a “massive, large-scale attack aimed at paralysing” its services, including arson and theft targeting cables not only at Courtalin but also at Pagny-sur-Moselle, a village outside the eastern city of Metz and Croisilles, and near the northern city of Arras.

Another attempted attack at another TGV junction southeast of Paris at Verginy was alerted by SNCF workers who were carrying out maintenance at the site on Friday morning.

Sabotage on the railway in France/Photo BBC

The sabotage was highly coordinated and the impact was immediate, on one of the busiest days for France's rail system. SNCF chairman Jean-Pierre Farandou spoke of a “deliberate, calculated, coordinated” attack that required significant repair work.

Hundreds of stranded passengers filled the main halls at the Gare du Nord and Gare de Montparnasse, Paris's two major rail hubs for travellers on lines north and west of the capital. Passengers at the Gare du Nord waited patiently for news of delays not only within France but also to London, Brussels and Amsterdam.

Which train services did not work in France after sabotage/Infographics BBC

At nearby Gare de L'Est, which serves the east, an SNCF spokesman said the company had diverted high-speed TGV trains onto other, slower lines, which would mean more delays and disruption but would also keep the network moving.

Train services were slowly resuming in all three directions on the afternoon of 26 July, but with limited services, delays of up to two hours and some cancellations.

Who could be behind the French rail sabotage

French Prime Minister Gabriel Attal said the impact on the rail network was widespread and serious, and France's intelligence services and security forces were deployed to find and punish those behind the criminal acts.

One security source for the French media suggested that the sabotage had all the hallmarks of the far left. However, Attal refused to speculate on who might be behind the sabotage.

The French prime minister urged the public to be cautious as the investigation was just beginning, although he said that the fact that the saboteurs targeted the high-speed rail network indicated an awareness of where it was vulnerable to attack.

So far, the French authorities have not linked Russia to the rail sabotage.