PARIS – In a series of pre-dawn attacks, saboteurs targeted France’s TGV high-speed train network, causing widespread disruption on the country’s busiest rail lines just hours before the Paris Olympics opening ceremony on Friday.
The coordinated sabotage occurred as France launched an unprecedented peacetime security operation, deploying tens of thousands of police and soldiers to secure the capital for the Games, drawing resources from across the country.
The state-owned railway operator reported that vandals had damaged signal boxes along lines connecting Paris with cities such as Lille in the north, Bordeaux in the west, and Strasbourg in the east. Another attack on the Paris-Marseille line was thwarted.
Hundreds of thousands of people were left stranded at rail stations.
There was no immediate claim of responsibility, but initial suspicions fell on hardline leftist militants or environmental activists, according to two security sources.
“Everything leads us to believe that these were criminal acts,” Transport Minister Patrice Vergriete stated at Gare du Nord.
The attacks on the rail network heightened apprehension ahead of the Olympics opening ceremony in central Paris later on Friday.
More than 300,000 spectators are expected to line the banks of the River Seine as athletes parade through the heart of Paris on a flotilla of barges and riverboats, in an extravagant opening ceremony to be watched by a global audience of billions.
The SNCF urged all travelers to postpone their journeys. While repairs were underway, traffic disruptions were expected to last until at least the end of the weekend. Trains were being sent back to their departure points.
The attacks targeted signaling installations on the Atlantic, Northern, and Eastern high-speed lines, with fires set off by explosive devices, the SNCF reported.
SNCF chief Jean-Pierre Farandou said about 800,000 customers were affected ahead of a busy weekend for French holidaymakers. Thousands of rail staff were deployed to repair the damage.
“This attack is not a coincidence, it’s an effort to destabilize France,” said Valerie Pecresse, president of the Paris region.
France is deploying 45,000 police, 10,000 soldiers, and 2,000 private security agents to secure the opening ceremony, with snipers on rooftops and drones monitoring from the air.
However, while the capital is heavily secured for the opening ceremony, security is lighter elsewhere in the country.
Paris 2024 stated it was working closely with the SNCF to assess the situation. The attacks complicate travel for those coming to Paris from other parts of France.
Some teams, like the U.S. basketball team, are based in Paris and were scheduled to travel by train to the northern city of Lille on Saturday.
The Paris police chief announced increased security measures at the capital’s main stations.
Stations were crowded with passengers, many of whom were preparing for summer holidays and had been waiting for several hours.
At Gare de L’Est, traveler Corinne Lecocq said her train to Strasbourg, near the German border, had been canceled.
“We’ll take the slow line,” she said. “I’m on holiday, so it’s okay, even if it is irritating to be late.”
Xavier Hiegel, 39, said he was just trying to get home for the weekend and couldn’t believe anyone would want to harm the Olympics.
“The Games bring jobs, so this really is nonsense. I hope the people responsible will be found and punished,” he said.