A major rail system in France has been massively disrupted ahead of the 2024 Paris Olympics Opening Ceremonies later today.
Société Nationale des Chemins de fer Français (SNCF) tweeted Friday morning that “Following this massive attack aimed at paralyzing the high-speed line network, a large number of trains were diverted or canceled.”
Jean-Pierre Farandou, the CEO of SNCF, told reporters Friday the attacks on the rail system included “arson” and intentionally damaging cables. The state-run rail line said it doesn’t know who’s behind the attacks.
Trains to and from Paris will ultimately be affected, and SNCF said approximately 800,000 travelers would feel the effect.
“Affected travelers will be contacted by email or SMS. We ask all travelers who can to postpone their trip and not to go to the station,” the rail line continued.
Travelers during service disruptions at Gare de Lyon railway station in Paris, France, on Friday, July 26, 2024. Trains to and from Paris, including the international Eurostar service, were hit by what authorities called a “massive attack aimed at paralyzing the network” of France’s super-fast trains just hours ahead of the inauguration ceremony of the 2024 Olympic Games. (Nathan Laine/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
The Opening Ceremony will be on the Seine River beginning at 1:30 p.m. ET, the first kickoff to a Summer Olympics that won’t be held in a stadium setting.
This is a developing story.