Railway Network Paralyzed - Α total of 800,000 passengers have been affected, with Eurostar services disrupted. The perpetrators, acting in a coordinated manner, cut and set fire to cables at multiple points in the network. The issue is expected to last at least throughout the weekend, as repairs are underway. Watch the video showing crowds at central stations.
The French railway company SNCF reported that overnight on Thursday into Friday, it suffered a “massive attack of sufficient scale to cause paralysis” of the high-speed TGV network, which has been “severely disrupted.” According to Le Parisien, at least 800,000 passengers have been affected.
An SNCF official explained that some network cables were “cut and then burned,” and these cables “contain wires that need to be reconnected one by one,” detailing the extensive nature of the repairs. French intelligence initially dismissed the possibility of a cybersecurity issue in the attacks against SNCF.
According to AFP, most of the attacks were incendiary, with unknown perpetrators setting train cars on fire. “They wanted to burn our facilities,” said a source to AFP. Trains are being rerouted to different lines, but a large number of services will need to be canceled, according to the company’s announcement.
“The situation is expected to last at least through the weekend while repairs are made,” SNCF clarified.
Three high-speed train routes were vandalized overnight in France, causing significant disruptions on the day of the official opening of the Paris Olympic Games, as reported by Reuters.
Targeted and Planned Attack
The scale of the attack suggests it was “planned,” according to a source from the Ministry of Transport. “Generally, the railway network is vulnerable, but strategic points were targeted. Simultaneous actions on different lines are extremely suspicious,” said a railway company manager, describing the acts as complex and coordinated.