Summary
Train services disrupted by a series of fires on French high-speed rail lines are slowly resuming, as Paris makes final preparations for the Olympics opening ceremony at 18:30 BST
Rail company SNCF says the saboteurs either vandalised or tried to vandalise five signal boxes and electricity installations between 01:00 and 05:30 local time
French PM Gabriel Attal vows to "find and punish" those responsible for targeting the rail network's "nerve centres"
Some 800,000 rail customers are expected to be affected, and one in four Eurostar services will be cancelled until Monday
Live Reporting
Edited by James Harness and Jamie Whitehead
Saboteurs struck vital but vulnerable points of high-speed networkpublished at 18:05 26 July
18:05 26 July
Paul Kirby
Europe digital editorPre-planned and co-ordinated, these acts of sabotage were clearly aimed at bringing the four arteries of the TGV network out from Paris to the rest of the country to a standstill.
To a large degree they succeeded. Only the southern route to Lyon and Marseille was spared, mainly because SNCF workers were able to foil the attack at the last minute.
France's high-speed TGV trains criss-cross the country at 300km/h (186mph), and the network is largely rural which makes its infrastructure more vulnerable.
Caretaker Prime Minister Gabriel Attal went so far as to call the sites targeted as "nerve centres".
The head of state-owned rail company SNCF, Jean-Pierre Farandou, said whoever was behind the sabotage had targeted intersections on the network to have the most serious impact "since each fire cut off two lines" and damaged critical signalling cables.
To the south-east of Paris, at Courtalain, the saboteurs targeted cables close to an intersection on the so-called Atlantic line, with routes heading towards Brittany on one side and the south-west of France on the other.
In the east, they set fire to cables near a fork in the high-speed line heading either to Metz or Strasbourg.
And with that, we are ending our live coverage of the arson attacks in France - but you can hop over to our live commentary of tonight's Olympic opening ceremony in Paris.
Thank you for joining us.
Chaos crippled France's high-speed rail network today - what happened?published at 17:57 26 July
17:57 26 July
Image source, EPAFrance has grappled with chaos on its railway network today after the French rail company SNCF said its high-speed network had been targeted by "malicious acts" aimed at paralysing the system. Here's where things stand tonight:
- Signal boxes along three lines connecting Paris with major cities to the north, east and southwest were damaged by fires in a "massive attack"
- A further arson attack on a fourth line towards the south-east was foiled by authorities
- The president of SNCF said the attackers started fires in "conduits carrying multiple (fibre-optic) cables" that relay "safety information for drivers"
- Paris prosecutor's office has opened an investigation
- Engineers are working to fix the damage, however disruption is expected to last the entire weekend with SNCF estimating some 800,000 passengers affected
- Eurostar will be cancelling one in four of its trains across its entire network throughout the weekend
- It comes as Parisians take off on month-long summer breaks en mass, known as the grand départ, and the Olympic Opening Ceremony this evening
This page is about to close, but you can keep up with all of the action from Paris on the Olympic live page here.
Who was responsible?published at 17:40 26 July
17:40 26 July
Gordon Corera
Security correspondentImage source, Getty ImagesThis was a well-planned andwell co-ordinated act of sabotage and does not look like the work of just oneor two individuals. Multiple sites were hit far apart during the night. Andthose behind it knew what they were doing, understanding which cables to hit inorder to cause maximum disruption.
But the authorities are not yet saying who they think wasresponsible. Security has been intense because Paris is facing a series ofthreats from different quarters – in some cases against athletes fromparticular countries, sometimes against the games as a whole.
One threat is from jihadists – but this is not typically thekind of thing they would do.
Another is from the Russians trying to disrupt the games,especially over France’s support for Ukraine.
French officials believe therehas been a propaganda campaign in recent months against their country and aforty-year-old Russian was arrested in Paris on Sunday allegedly planning tocause disruption at the Olympics including of the opening ceremony.
But there’s also domestic opposition to the games. Thiscomes from hard left activists who dislike the Olympics and who also dislikethe current French government of President Macron.
The language of some Frenchofficials suggested perhaps they initially leant more towards this last group attackbut that seems to have been based on the nature of the attack rather thananything more.
Officials will want to see evidence from the scene and where anysurveillance footage or individuals or vehicles takes them before they pointthe finger at anyone firmly.
In pictures: Rail workers repair damaged network in northern Francepublished at 17:29 26 July
17:29 26 July
As thousands of train passengers deal with the aftermath of what rail operator SNCF has called a "premeditated, calculated, co-ordinated" attack, repairs on France's damaged network are well underway.
Pre-dawn arson attacks on vital junctions of the high-speed rail network crippled the system so rail workers have been hard at work repairing signal boxes and replacing damaged cables.
Here's a closer look at some of the work that's being carried out in northern France to get the trains back on track as soon as possible.
Image source, Getty ImagesImage source, GettyImage source, Getty ImagesImage source, Getty ImagesAttackers targeted rail network 'nerve centres' - French PMpublished at 17:23 26 July
17:23 26 July
Earlier today, the French Prime Minister Gabriel Attal said the perpetrators of the attack had knowledge of the rail network as they had targeted the "nerve centres" of the system.
"What we know, what we see is that this operation was prepared, coordinated, that 'nerve centres' were targeted, which shows a form of knowledge of the network to know where to strike," Attal said during a visit to the transport ministry crisis centre.
"I can’t tell you more about the authors and their motivations. But I see the impact, a massive impact for many of our fellow citizens," he said.
People hit the road as train delays continuepublished at 17:20 26 July
17:20 26 July
The opening ceremony of the Olympic Games, combined with people going on holiday at the start of the grand départ - a busy day for major rail network disruption to happen.
Some people have been hitting the road to find a way round the train cancellations and delays.
A spokesperson for the bus company Flixbus France has told BFMTV it's seen a 15% increase in reservations after the disruption on the country's rail network. Blablacar, an online carpooling platform, has also said it's recorded "three times more" reservations for buses and shared car journeys.
If you're still hoping to use the railways, check your train is running as disruption is expected to continue into the weekend.
SNCF has said tickets can be refunded and exchanged, and Eurostar has said journeys can be cancelled, modified, or refunded.
SNCF update: signalling experts testing each damaged cablepublished at 17:15 26 July
17:15 26 July
SNCF has just posted a small update on X - detailing that teams continue to work towards a "gradual recovery".
Signal experts have also been deployed and are testing each damaged cable, it says.
Rural sabotage plays havoc with opening of Paris Olympicspublished at 16:58 26 July
16:58 26 July
Paul Kirby and Andrew Harding
Image source, Courtesy of Vald’Yerre municipalityEverything was in place.
Streets in the centre of Paris have been blocked off, metro stations closed and thousands of police, soldiers and other guards deployed to maintain security ahead of the Olympics opening ceremony.
But the saboteurs struck away from the capital, at five apparently unguarded places.
French rail company SNCF says the saboteurs either vandalised or tried to vandalise five signal boxes and electricity installations between 01:00 and 05:30 on Friday.
One site was at Courtalain, east of Le Mans and 150km to the south-west of Paris. The local community's social media page posted a picture of burnt-out cables in a shallow gulley, with its protective SNCF paving stones discarded.
SNCF spoke of a "massive, large-scale attack aimed at paralysing" its services, involving arson and theft targeting cabling, not just at Courtalain but at Pagny-sur-Moselle, a village outside the eastern city of Metz and Croisilles, not far from the northern city of Arras.
- You can read more on this story here
French athletes not impacted by travel chaospublished at 16:38 26 July
16:38 26 July
Image source, EPADavid Lappartient from CNOSF (French National Olympic and Sports Committee) has confirmed that, to his knowledge, no French athletes have been impacted by the "acts of sabotage".
Speaking to BFM's RMC Sport, he adds that they condemn what's happened but that they've verified with teams that no athlete has been impacted.
Our enthusiasm is "intact", he says.
Elsewhere we are picking up that this may not be true of all athletes - AFP has reported that two trains carrying athletes to Paris have arrived, one was delayed and a fourth was to be transferred over to another train.
Update expected from rail company shortlypublished at 16:29 26 July
16:29 26 July
French rail operator SNCF will announce a new transport plan very soon, according to the Ministry of Transport.
This follows a day of extended delays across France's high-speed rail network due to what the SNCF has described as a "massive attack aimed at paralysing the network".
Thousands of people heading to Paris for tonight's opening ceremony of the Olympics or leaving the French capital for summer holidays have faced severe delays or cancelled services.
We'll keep you updated as we hear more from SNCF.
Image source, Getty ImagesInterior minister hopes for 'quick arrests' over railway sabotage - Reuterspublished at 16:24 26 July
16:24 26 July
Image source, ReutersWe're just heard some comments from Gérald Darmanin, French interior minister, who says "we are ready" to welcome the parade.
Speaking to BFMTV, he thanks police and military personnel. He explains they have just opened the controls to begin allowing those with tickets to come and see the ceremony.
He adds that he believes the "fête" will not be comparable to anything in the world.
Today for the opening ceremony and for Paris there are more than 50,000 police and military patrolling and carrying out checks - this is additional to private security and local police, he continues.
Reuters have reported that Darmanin further expressed his wish to make arrests quickly over the rail network sabotage.
Arson attacks attempt to 'damage image of country', says French MPpublished at 16:13 26 July
16:13 26 July
Renaissance MP for Yvelines says the attacks on the French rail network are an attempt to "damage the image of the country".
Speaking to Newshour on the BBC World Service, Natalia Pouzyreff says she believes "people in France are very responsible".
"They know that these malicious attacks were not there to injure people, but just a political action against the government and to damage the image of the country," she adds.
Pouzyreff says French citizens are not afraid in any way but "mostly really bothered and annoyed" by the disruption to their travel plans, as they "cannot move".
French media report 'foiled' attack incident near Marseille in Maypublished at 16:00 26 July
16:00 26 July
Hollie Cole
Live page reporterWe've been seeing some French media reports saying there was a "foiled" attack in May near Marseille when the Olympic Flame was expected to arrive.
On 8 May, the Olympic Flame was due to arrive in the southern French city to kick off its tour of France ahead of the games.
Meanwhile, four bottles were found on the Marseille-Paris high-speed rail line near Aix-en-Provence, which is close to Marseille, according to French media.
What was inside the bottles varies between different media sources.
FranceInfo, external has said police found a fuse and "yellow liquid" accompanied by other items to "accelerate combustion". According to BFMTV, external, the bottles were filled with petrol and a fuse to "light the whole thing".
The news agency AFP says sources have told it that since May, prosecutors in Marseille have been investigating an "incendiary device" found on 8 May on the railway line.
The BBC has not been able to verify these claims and cannot confirm if this incident is linked to the Olympics or today's disruptions.
In pictures: Security personnel take position ahead of opening ceremonypublished at 15:47 26 July
15:47 26 July
Away from the train stations, we're now seeing photos of security personnel stationed at various locations across Paris as the city gears up for the opening ceremony of the Olympics.
The spectacle will feature thousands of athletes travelling on a procession of boats which will pass some of the city's famous landmarks, including the Louvre Museum, along the river Seine.
Image source, ReutersImage source, ReutersImage source, ReutersImage source, EPA-EFE/REX/ShutterstockEerie quietude in parts of French capitalpublished at 15:38 26 July
15:38 26 July
James FitzGerald
Reporting from ParisIn contrast with the images of massive crowds at railway stations, parts of central Paris have felt eerily quiet this afternoon.
It's perhaps a signal that locals have indeed chosen to abandon the city during what's expected to be a hectic Games period - or at least to lock down for the day.
By the famous Arc de Triomphe, police were more conspicuous than tourists snapping selfies when I passed by.
A few dog-walkers and resolute joggers huff and puff as they navigate huge security cordons that have been put in place in recent days, as authorities try to shut down any disruption of the ceremony itself.
The sometimes labyrinthine feel of Paris is only heightened by swathes of blocked-off roads. A pair of officers chuckle when I try to remember the words for "left turn".
State-owned railway operator SNCF gives update as network slowly resumespublished at 15:27 26 July
15:27 26 July
The rail network is slowly resuming, as we reported earlier on.
In the last hour, SNCF has released more details about how each line is impacted as things currently stand.
Atlantique line
One train in three is running towards Brittany and Nouvelle Aquitaine with journeys lengthened by one and a half to two hours.
Nord line
TGV is running with delays of one and a half to two hours with some trains cancelled.
Est line
Normal service has been resumed around Metz Nancy, but beyond towards Strasbourg there are delays of one hour and some cancellations.
High-speed trains divert to traditional trackspublished at 15:18 26 July
15:18 26 July
Image source, EPAThe arson attack on French rail lines hit parts of the high-speed network - with a number of trains are being diverted to run along traditional, non-high speed tracks.
Transport minister Patrice Vergriete tells French broadcaster BFMTV that TGVs, high-speed rail trains, "will have to use traditional lines today, which means delays, but also cancellations".
"Probably one in two trains to the East, the North and Brittany, one in four TGVs to Bordeaux," he adds.
US rapper Snoop Dogg carries Olympic torch in Parispublished at 15:08 26 July
15:08 26 July
As the disruption continued on France's railways, elsewhere US rapper Snoop Dogg brought his trademark grin to the streets of Paris as one of the Olympic torchbearers.
As the flame burned brightly atop the torch, the Drop It Like It's Hot singer kept a firm hold and waved to passers-by as he walked past the Stade de France.
You might be wondering why the American celebrity is part of the Olympic torch relay but don't forget he's a qualified American football coach and set up the Snoop Youth League in Los Angeles to keep youngsters off the streets.
And Los Angeles will host the 2028 Olympics, of course.
Follow more of our Paris 2024 Olympics sports coverage on our dedicated live page
Image source, ReutersStarmer impacted by travel disruption in Francepublished at 15:00 26 July
15:00 26 July
Sir Keir Starmer has had to change his travel plans to France for the Olympics opening ceremony due to disruption on the Eurostar network.
Downing Street says the prime minister took a flight to Paris instead.
He is due to attend a leaders' reception hosted by French president Emmanuel Macron before going to the ceremony along the River Seine, Downing Street adds.
'I had to do it': Family spend €1,200 for taxi from Bordeaux to Parispublished at 14:57 26 July
14:57 26 July
Image source, Collins OnyeukwuCollins Onyeukwu from Lagos in Nigeria has paid €1,200 for a taxi to drive him and his family 600km from Bordeaux to Parisafter their train was cancelled this morning.
“Originally the staff [at Bordeaux station] didn’t know what hadhappened and they couldn’t tell us when the trains would be back on," Collins says.
“It was chaotic. We were asking questions and nobody seemed toknow what was happening. Then we read from the news there was some sort ofcrisis on the railways.
“Our train was cancelled, all trains to Paris had been cancelled,and staff didn’t know when the line would be back up and running."
The 49-year-old has been telling the BBC he, his wife and two children aged 12 and 15 have been planning on attending the opening ceremony for three years - and with a six-hour drive they hope to arrive in the French capital with time to spare.
“We rented a very expensive taxi, but my kids want to see theopening ceremony so I had to do it," he adds.
“My girls were excited to come and see it and we’ve been lookingforward to it, so it was a big disappointment this morning.”
