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Chaos has spread today following a series of arson attacks on France’s rail network just hours before the 2024 Paris Olympics officially begin in the nation.

Passengers have been advised to postpone their journeys where possible following the incidents, which French Transport Minister Patrice Vergret described as “coordinated malicious acts”.

The arson attack, which occurred between 1 am and 5:30 am local time, affected several TGV lines in the country.

According to French state-owned railway operator SNCF, its services are expected to be severely affected throughout the weekend after fires broke out at various points along lines connecting Paris to the west, north and east. According to reports, the fire appears to have targeted an electrical or signaling box.

An SNCF statement said: “Last night, the SNCF was the victim of several acts of vandalism on the Atlantic, Northern and Eastern high-speed lines.”

“I am thinking of all the French people who will not be able to go on holiday today or who will be in a worse situation,” SNCF CEO Jean-Pierre Ferrandou told BFM TV. Quick fix “It will definitely last all weekend, because it will take a long time to fix….Today is a sad day.”

Eurostar faces significant disruption along the high-speed line connecting Paris and Lille. The delay is expected to extend normal journey times by an hour and a half and has already forced several cancellations.

So far, the Eurostar website shows total delays and at least 11 cancellations across all its services today. The worst affected services currently appear to be connections between Brussels and Paris.

A Eurostar spokesman said: “Due to coordinated acts of malicious activity in France, affecting the high-speed line between Paris and Lille, all high-speed trains to and from Paris are being diverted via the Classic line today, Friday 26 July.”

“Eurostars teams are fully mobilized at stations, call centers and onboard to ensure all passengers are informed and can reach their destinations.”

The major European rail operator is encouraging its passengers to postpone their trips where they can and allowing its customers to cancel their trips free of charge and receive a full refund. Passengers are also informed that they can change their itinerary free of charge.

France-based flight hub EuroAirport Basel-Mulhouse-Freiburg, operated jointly by France and Switzerland, had flights temporarily grounded this morning after its terminal was evacuated and closed for “security reasons”. It is unclear whether this is related to previous rail fire attacks or with the updates.

“For security reasons, the terminal had to be evacuated and is currently closed. Flight operations have been temporarily suspended.” The airport said on X. “Passengers are urged to contact their airline for information about their flight.”

Sports Minister Amélie Aude-Castera said authorities were working to “assess the impact on travellers, athletes and ensure the transport of all delegations to competition venues”.

It is unclear how long it will take for rail services to be fully operational again, and there is no indication of who may be responsible for the attacks. This is a developing story, which we will update as we learn more.

Bottom line

Today was supposed to be one of celebrations in France with the opening of the Paris Olympics 2024, one of the most anticipated events of the year. However, this event was marred by a series of arson attacks that severely affected French rail operations. Disruptions are expected to continue through the weekend and commuters are advised to postpone their trips wherever possible due to travel.