On Eve of Games, 'Malicious Acts' Paralyze France's Rail Network

The French national rail company SNCF said Friday that high-speed lines were hit by several "malicious acts" that heavily disrupted traffic on the day of the Olympics' opening ceremony. Lines in the west, north, and east of France were affected, SNCF announced. Trains to neighboring Belgium and to London under the English Channel were also affected, the AP reports. "This is a massive attack on a large scale to paralyze the TGV network," the rail company told AFP. "SNCF was the victim of several simultaneous malicious acts overnight."

"Arson attacks were started to damage our facilities," SNCF said. The company said the high-speed line in the southeast of the country was unaffected because "a malicious act was foiled." The company has urged those who can delay their journeys to do so. "No claim of responsibility has been made but it is hard not to see a link with the Olympic Games," says Hugh Schofield at the BBC. "This was always going to be a very busy day in Paris stations, with visitors arriving for the opening ceremony in one direction, and in the other many Parisians leaving at the start of their summer holiday."

(More 2024 Paris Olympics stories.)