For the opening of the Olympic Games, the SNCF victim of an attack: what is happening ? (🔴Live)

© Victor Velter – Shuttestock

The railway company reported this Friday morning that it was the victim of a “massive attack to paralyze the TGV network”, describing these incidents as ”malicious acts” that caused traffic interruptions and significant delays – particularly at Montparnasse and Gare de l'Est stations in Paris. A situation that is reminiscent of the successive difficulties encountered in 2023 by the SNCF, which led to long delays in the capital's stations.

Desperate travelers quickly vented their frustration on social media with images of chaos in Montparnasse station. For its part, the SNCF is planning longer journey times and train cancellations throughout the day despite the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games, which is expected to attract hundreds of thousands of curious onlookers to the banks of the Seine.

Follow the progress of the attack on the SNCF live

11:04 “Customers 100% reimbursed”

The CEO of SNCF Voyageurs has indicated that “customers will be reimbursed 100%” following the attacks on the railway network. Gare Montparnasse is still blocked, “there will be no traffic (…) until 1 p.m.” he specifies.

10:30 Those responsible have still not been identified

While rumors point to far-left activists, the SNCF claims that those responsible for these acts have not been identified. “All security and intelligence services are mobilized”,security sources at France Télévisions specify, but “it is too early to determine with certainty who is behind these actions.”

10:14 Damage to the railway network

According to franceinfo and France Inter, any involuntary breakdown should be ruled out. These are indeed deliberate acts of vandalism. In total, five acts of vandalism or attempted vandalism took place between 1am and 5:30am, targeting electrical or signaling boxes.

10:11 800,000 passengers affected

The President of SNCF estimates that 800,000 travelers will suffer the consequences of these attacks. “Approximately 800,000 travelers will be affected by the delays trains” he specifies.

10:05 The SNCF advises not to travel by train this weekend

Faced with the extent of the damage, the SNCF advises travelers to cancel their trip, at least for the entire weekend. The company does not expect to resolve all issues for several days.

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10:00 Hello and welcome to this live to follow the evolution of the attacks against the SNCF

The SNCF is the victim of a massive attack aimed at damaging its infrastructure. Many stations are paralyzed, trains are canceled on the eve of the opening of the Paris Olympics.

Fires declared

In Montparnasse, the disruptions are attributed to a fire that occurred near the town of Courtalain, in Eure-et-Loir. This incident is said to have seriously damaged the signaling installations, resulting in delays of 30 minutes to 1 hour 10 minutes for the TGV INOUI, INTERCITÉS and OUIGO – particularly on the lines between Paris and Tours and Paris-Le Mans. The situation could be disrupted – until Monday 29th according to the press release from Rémi Train-Centre Val de Loire.

In the Arras area, another fire has interrupted train traffic since 5:15 this morning with delays of up to 1h30 for the TGV INOUI and OUIGO. Finally, on the high-speed eastern line, a fire in Pagny-sur-Moselle also led to service interruptions and delays of up to 45 minutes.

SNCF warned that normal traffic would not be resumed for several days, which could complicate the departures on vacation for many travelers and the first days of the Olympic Games. The Minister of Transport, Patrice Vergriete, condemned these malicious acts, citing “criminal acts” that will be strongly punished.

SNCF Réseau teams are on site to diagnose and begin repairs of these “deliberate fires [that] were started to damage our facilities”. The SNCF group also specifies that ’a “malicious act was foiled” on the LGV Sud Est, and that it was therefore not affected by the disruptions.

Because bad news never comes alone, Parisians must also deal with a signal failure on the RER D, near the Stade de France. Suburban trains traveling north of the line will no longer stop at the Stade de France “until further notice”. A gradual return has however been observed for a few minutes.

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