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[Global Times special correspondent in France Dong Ming] According to France 24 News TV on the 27th, on the eve of the opening ceremony of the Paris Olympics, the French high-speed rail system was suddenly attacked, causing 30% of the trains to be cancelled that day. Currently, the French authorities are still hunting for the perpetrators, and an estimated 800,000 passengers were affected by the incident throughout the weekend.

Deliberate arson and destruction of high-speed rail lines

According to the French National Railway Company, in the deliberate attack on the train on the 26th, three of the four high-speed rail trunk lines were attacked to varying degrees, and one of the lines was damaged when it was discovered by railway workers. Currently, the French police are trying their best to hunt down the suspects based on these clues. An investigating official revealed the details of the case to AFP - the attack was well prepared, "the suspect cut and burned the dedicated optical fiber cables that are vital to the safety of the railway network", which was a premeditated and deliberate sabotage.

Employees of the French National Railway Company and French gendarmes inspect the site where the high-speed rail system was damaged. (Visual China)

The "strategic" sabotage incident, which occurred a few hours before the opening ceremony, caused the cable boxes of the French high-speed rail North Line, Atlantic Line and East Line to be set on fire almost simultaneously. The French National Railway Company said that engineers worked all night in the rain to repair the damaged cables, but since the damage was to the main line system, it was more troublesome to repair. According to reports, traffic on the North Line will continue to be interrupted on Sunday, traffic on the Atlantic Line should improve, and rail traffic is expected to return to normal on Monday. Afterwards, the French National Railway Company also stated that it had deployed 1,000 staff and 50 drones on all lines to strengthen security.

Highway buses become popular

The attack on the railway system had a great impact on passengers. According to the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), 250,000 passengers were affected last Friday, and a quarter of the Eurostar high-speed trains connecting Paris, France to London, England were suspended. Even British Prime Minister Starmer was one of the victims: he originally planned to take the Eurostar to Paris to attend the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games last Friday, but because of the suspension, he had to temporarily change to a plane. He told the BBC: "This incident is really frustrating, especially for many people, it makes their travel more difficult."

According to the British newspaper The Guardian, there were originally 15 "Eurostar" trains from London to Paris last Saturday. Due to the attack, four trains were cancelled, and the railway operator called on passengers to "postpone their travel if possible." For those who still need to go to Paris, they can only choose other means of transportation, and highway buses have become very popular. Seats from London to Paris cost up to 200 pounds. All Flixbus and National Express services on the route on the 27th have been booked. For those out-of-town spectators who were scheduled to arrive in Paris on the morning of the 26th local time but missed the bus, they could not arrive at the opening ceremony in time, so there were many complaints of frustration on social networks. Although the French National Railway Company promised a full refund and rebooking, it is always a regret that they cannot make up for not being able to catch the opening ceremony.

The identity of the saboteurs is still under investigation

According to French TV 1, the French investigation department has been trying to identify the suspect since the day after the railway sabotage. It is reported that on the 27th, many French and foreign media received a mysterious "anonymous email" in which the sender expressed contempt for the Olympics, but it is still unclear whether the anonymous letter is directly related to the railway system sabotage.

At noon that day, French Interior Minister Darmanin also said: "Some information has been collected and we believe we will soon know who caused all this." According to information obtained by AFP from sources, this was a "carefully planned" sabotage activity planned and implemented by "the same organization."