With concerted acts of sabotage causing chaos on France’s high speed rail network just hours ahead of the Olympic Games opening ceremony, disruption is expected to continue for fans travelling to watch the world’s best athletes compete.
French rail operator SNCF warned on Friday that the damage could affect as many as 800,000 people over the course of the weekend, with the disruption also continuing to hit Eurostar services from London on Saturday.
Flights into France were also impacted by the security concerns, as a vast no-fly zone across the country’s north saw airports in Paris closed for six hours during the opening ceremony on Friday, with bus prices from London exceeding £200 on Friday as fans scrambled for alternatives.
Warning that the “French are under attack”, SNCF chief executive Jean-Pierre Faranadou said the fires that brought trains to a halt were “a premeditated, calculated, coordinated attack”, with transport minister Patrice Vergriete describing people fleeing from the scene and the discovery of incendiary devices.
Despite the chaos, a spokesperson for Team GB told The Independent that all British competitors arrived at the Games as expected on Friday. But with disruption expected to continue, here we take a look at getting to Paris on Saturday and in the days ahead:
Rail travel
Eurostar cancelled four of the 15 trains scheduled from London to Paris on Saturday, hitting more than 3,000 passengers – as the operator also warns of delays.
The rail firm told customers: “Due to the major network incident in France, your train is likely to be delayed between 1-2 hours. We advise you to postpone your trip if you can.”
There are no seats available on any of the remaining trains on Saturday.
Travel to and from Belgium and across the west, north and east of France was also affected, as trains from across northern France, as well as Belgium and the Netherlands, compete with Eurostar and local trains for space on the network.
With the high-speed line from Lille to the French capital unable to handle the planned number of services, trains are being routed along the “classic” slow line south to…
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