Travel chaos in Paris after ‘malicious acts’ ahead of Olympics opening ceremony

French high-speed rail networks including Eurostar were hit by arson attacks disrupting travel to and from Paris only hours before the Olympic opening ceremony.

Major hubs in the French capital were severely affected, with prime minister Gabriel Attal saying there would be “massive and serious” consequences both for people trying to travel to Paris and for those heading to other parts of the country or across the Channel.

Security has been incredibly tight in the centre of Paris in preparation for the ambitious opening ceremony, which will see athletes travel along the Seine in a flotilla of boats.

There was no immediate evidence of a link to the Games, while the AFP news agency spoke to a security source who claimed the nature of the sabotage points to the French extreme left.

National rail company SNCF said its Atlantic, North and East networks were damaged in the incidents, with fires laid across the tracks, while an attempted attack in the South-East was foiled.

Trains from London to Paris and Lille were being delayed by around an hour and a half, with a quarter cancelled. Eurostar said this would remain the case over the weekend, with the service not back to normal until Monday.

All high-speed trains to and from Paris have been diverted to a slower line and the company urged customers to postpone their journeys if possible.

Due to acts of vandalism affecting the high-speed line between Paris and Lille, all high-speed trains to and from Paris are being diverted via the classic line. Some trains have been cancelled, others are delayed. To see if your train is affected followhttps://t.co/rg0hFG14Wi

— Eurostar (@Eurostar) July 26, 2024

Writing on the social media site X, Attal said: “Early this morning, acts of sabotage