Hugh Schofield
Reporting from Paris
SNCF says it’s been a victim overnight of a "massive attack aimed at paralysing the network”.
Fires were started at three points on TGV lines running west, north and east of Paris.
A fourth arson attack on the line running south to Lyon and the Mediterranean was foiled.
The result is that TGV trains are being diverted onto other lines, leading to delays of up to two hours and some cancellations.
Repairs will not be completed until after the weekend.
No claim of responsibility has been made but it is hard not to see a link with the Olympic Games.
This
was always going to be a very busy day in Paris stations, with visitors
arriving for the opening ceremony in one direction, and in the other
many Parisians leaving at the start of their summer holiday.
We're beginning to see some further details about what happened overnight to the rail networks in Paris.
AFP
news agency has just reported comments they have received from a source
close to the investigation who says the arson attacks were acts of
"sabotage".
Their source added that the attacks were "evidently co-ordinated", according to the news agency.
