Arsonists have targeted the French railway network on the opening day of the Olympic Games. France calls it “coordinated sabotage”. The primary victim seems to be high-speed passenger traffic, so rail freight seems to remain unscathed. The attack highlights the vulnerability of European rail infrastructure.
The arson attacks occurred on the night ahead of the official opening of the Olympic Games. A representative of Delta Rail, a French multimodal operator, says that “rail freight in general does not seem to be affected.”
It looks like the attacks primarily targeted high-speed passenger traffic, which now needs to detour along old lines. Travel towards the west, north and northeast has become difficult, reports Dutch press agency ANP. An attack in the southeast was prevented.
“Irresponsible crazies”
The director of SNCF, Jean-Pierre Farandou, said that “a bunch of irresponsible crazies” committed the sabotage. They reportedly cut through catenaries and set them on fire. SNCF has not yet pointed to a possible culprit but said that replacing the cables will take time. It hopes to restore usual traffic by Monday.
The European rail network seems to be an attractive target for subversive activities. In 2023, the EU Agency for Cybersecurity warned of potential attacks on European rail infrastructure. Moreover, the Czech government earlier this year said that Russian hackers had targeted the country’s network and warned that “Russia intends to sabotage European rail infrastructure and to destabilise the EU”.
Ahead of the Olympic Games
The attacks occurred the night before the opening of the Olympic Games. Those are also a primary target for subversions. This year’s Games are the largest security operation in French history. According to Dutch publication NRC, France arrested a Russian spy who boasted about his attack plans in a café a day before the opening of the Olympics.