‘Coordinated Malicious Acts’ Disrupt French High-Speed Rail Network On Day Of Olympics Opening Ceremony

Forbes Business Breaking ‘Coordinated Malicious Acts’ Disrupt French High-Speed Rail Network On Day Of Olympics Opening Ceremony Siladitya Ray Forbes Staff Siladitya Ray is a New Delhi-based Forbes news team reporter. Following Jul 26, 2024, 04:36am EDT Updated Jul 26, 2024, 05:20am EDT Share to Facebook Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin Topline France’s high-speed
‘Coordinated Malicious Acts’ Disrupt French High-Speed Rail Network On Day Of Olympics Opening Ceremony

‘Coordinated Malicious Acts’ Disrupt French High-Speed Rail Network On Day Of Olympics Opening Ceremony

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Updated Jul 26, 2024, 05:20am EDT

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France’s high-speed rail network faced major disruptions on Friday that authorities have blamed on coordinated “malicious acts,” just hours before the country’s capital is set to host the opening ceremony of the 2024 Summer Olympic games.

Key Facts

In a statement on X, state-owned railway company SNCF said overnight arson attacks caused damage to parts of its west, north and east high-speed rail network—while the southeastern line remained unaffected after a “malicious act was foiled.”

The rail company said its workers have started carrying out repairs in the affected areas, but a “large number” of TGV high-speed rail traffic on the affected lines has been canceled.

The rail company described the incidents as a “massive attack aimed at paralyzing the high-speed line network” and urged travelers to postpone their trips if possible and avoid going to the stations.

French Transport Minister Patrice Vergriete condemned the “coordinated malicious acts” calling them “criminal,” but did not provide details on any potential suspects.

The country’s Prime Minister Gabriel Attal—who resigned following the recent French parliamentary elections but continues to serve in a caretake role— said the consequences of the attack are “massive and serious” and added, “our intelligence services and law enforcement agencies are mobilized to find and punish the perpetrators of these criminal acts.”

Valérie Pécresse, the president of the Île-de-France regional council which includes the Paris metropolitan region offered a more blunt assessment of the attack saying they were a deliberate act of “destabilization” just as the French capital is set to host the 2024 Summer Olympics.

This is a developing story.

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TikTok’s Chinese parent to sell the social media platform,  Elon Musk’s handling of policy issues at X and the  2024 General Elections in India. Prior to joining Forbes, Siladitya worked as a reporter with the Hindustan Times and Medianama covering tech policy and consumer tech in India. He graduated from Columbia University with an MA in Business and Economics Journalism in 2019. Follow Ray for continued coverage on TikTok in the U.S., Elon Musk and X and other key developments at big tech companies. Tips: siladitya@protonmail.com. Forbes reporters follow company ethical guidelines that ensure the highest quality.

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