Tens of thousands of rail passengers struggled through two days of canceled and delayed trains on Friday and Saturday
SNCF employees and French gendarmes inspect the scene of a suspected attack on the high speed railway network at Croiselles, northern France on Friday.
AFP
PARIS, France (AFP) — France’s national rail operator on Sunday said it had repaired damage caused by saboteurs that paralyzed the train network hours before the Olympics opening ceremony, and normal services would resume on Monday.
Train traffic on the main line west out of Paris was already “practically normal” and “three out of four” high-speed TGV trains were running on the main line north from the capital, “without any increase in travel time from now on,” operator SNCF said on Sunday.
It remains unclear who carried out the three attacks on strategic points of the rail infrastructure overnight on Thursday to Friday, or if they were deliberately timed to disrupt the Games’ opening spectacle later on Friday.
Tens of thousands of rail passengers struggled through two days of canceled and delayed trains on Friday and Saturday, when 800,000 travelers were due to leave for their summer holidays.
“Thanks to the exceptional efforts of SNCF Network staff, who worked non-stop since Friday morning, repairs are now fully completed on all the high-speed rail services affected by the sabotage attacks,” the operator said.
“Tests have been conclusive and the train lines are now able to function as normal.
“There will be no more disruption from Monday morning onwards,” it said.
No group has claimed responsibility for the meticulously planned night-time attacks. Maintenance workers thwarted a fourth.
Search for perpetrators
A source close to the Paris judicial authority, which has launched an investigation, said the attacks had all been carried out by “the same entity.”
A statement signed by “an unexpected delegation” was sent to several news media outlets expressing support for the sabotage and criticizing the Olympic Games as being a “celebration of nationalism” and the oppression of peoples by nation states.
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