In Paris, train traffic has been stopped at several locations since the train company SNCF was hit by several intentional fires – the same day as the Olympic Games in Paris are inaugurated.
The incident is being investigated as sabotage and 800,000 people are affected by cancelled trains.
According to the state-owned railway company, three intentional fires have broken out on the tracks at key points for cables that control switches and traffic signals.
In social media, SNCF writes that the company has been subjected to "vandalism" and that "fires have been set to damage our facilities". Personnel are on site and have begun repairs.
According to SNCF, the fires were coordinated and are considered and investigated as sabotage.
"Criminal acts"
About 800,000 passengers are affected by cancelled departures, mainly on high-speed trains TGV.
The French Transport Minister Patrice Vergriete condemns the acts and calls them "criminal."
According to the Paris police chief, security has been increased at train and subway stations after the fires.
We are concentrating our workforce on the stations since the cancelled trains mean that more people are gathered there, says Laurent Nunez to radio channel France Info.
France's Prime Minister Gabriel Attal writes on X that "our intelligence services are actively working to find and punish the perpetrators of these criminal acts".
According to sources that the newspaper Le Figaro has spoken to, the method used in the attack has previously been used by extreme left-wing groups.
Trains affected all weekend
Even Eurostar - the train between London and Paris - is affected by the coordinated sabotage.
The head of SNCF Jean-Pierre Farandou regrets that many French people who were going to Paris to see the opening of the Olympic Games have had their day ruined.
At Montparnasse station, which has been most affected by cancelled trains, traffic is completely shut down until at least 1 pm today. But SNCF warns that trains will be affected all weekend and many departures have been moved to Monday.
"We ask all passengers who can to postpone their trip and not to go to the station", the company writes on X.
