The attacks, which took place in the early hours of Friday, damaged railway lines linking Paris to Lille, Bordeaux and Strasbourg, and the perpetrators damaged signalling equipment and cables and caused fires. The state railway company (SNCF) said another attack had been thwarted on the Paris-Marseille line. It has not yet been announced who might be responsible for the attacks.
“Who is responsible? Regardless of whether the attack was ordered from within the country or from abroad, it would be premature to comment on this,” the French interior minister told France 2 television, adding that based on the investigations so far, it was too early to comment. Those responsible would likely be found soon.
According to two security sources, left-wing militants or environmental activists were initially suspected, but there is no evidence of that yet.
“Traffic on the French high-speed rail network could return to normal by Monday,” acting Transport Minister Patrice Vergret and SNCF chief Jean-Pierre Farandeau told reporters on Saturday.
The state railway company said the Olympic teams' travel was guaranteed. Patrice Vergaert pointed out that 100,000 people were unable to board the train because of the attacks, and another 150,000 were delayed, but in the end everyone reached their destination. The commissioner stressed that “there will be disruptions tomorrow too, but from Monday there is no need to worry.”
Cover image is an illustration. Cover image source: Getty Images
