French PM: 'Acts of Sabotage' on Railway Network Hit Three Main Train Lines

French PM: Vandalism hits three main train lines heading to Paris

French Prime Minister Gabriel Attal said that acts of sabotage on the French railway network had hit three main train lines heading to Paris.

Atal added that the attacks was aimed at paralysing the country's high-speed rail network.

French authorities are searching for the perpetrators of attacks on the country's high-speed rail network that affected hundreds of thousands of passengers hours before the opening of the Olympic Games.

Travel to and from London under the English Channel, to neighbouring Belgium, and across western, northern and eastern France was affected by what national rail company SNCF described as a series of coordinated incidents overnight.

Passengers at London's St Pancras station were warned of delays of up to an hour on their Eurostar trains. Announcements in the departure hall of the international terminal told passengers heading to Paris that there was a problem with the overhead power supply.

The attack came against a backdrop of global tensions and heightened security as the city prepares for the 2024 Olympics. Many travellers were planning to congregate in the capital for the opening ceremony, and many holidaymakers were also on their way to the event.

SNCF said it did not know when traffic would resume and feared disruptions could last "at least through the weekend". It added that its team was already on site to conduct diagnostics and begin repairs, but "this situation will continue at least through the weekend while repairs are carried out".

The company advised "all passengers to postpone their journeys and not to go to the stations", explaining in its press release that all tickets are exchangeable and refundable.