Paris:
France’s national railway company said on Sunday it had repaired damage caused by saboteurs who paralyzed the train network hours before the Olympic Games opening ceremony, and that normal services would resume on Monday.
Train traffic on the main line west of Paris was already “almost normal” and “three out of four” high-speed trains ran on the main line north of the capital, “with no 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 railway infrastructure on Thursday night, or whether they were deliberately timed to disrupt the opening spectacle of the Games later on Friday.
Tens of thousands of train 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 the SNCF network staff, who have been working non-stop since Friday morning, repairs have now been fully completed on all high-speed rail services affected by the sabotage attacks,” the operator said.
“The tests have been convincing and the railway lines can now function normally.
“There will be no more disruptions from Monday morning,” it said.
No group has claimed responsibility for the carefully planned nighttime 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 were all carried out by “the same entity”.
A statement signed by “an unexpected delegation” was sent to several news media expressing support for the sabotage and criticizing the Olympics as a “celebration of nationalism” and the oppression of peoples by nation states.
But sources close to the investigation said it was simply a statement of support, not necessarily a claim of responsibility, gave no details of the attacks and contained “nothing particularly serious”.
“We have uncovered a number of elements that make us think that we will soon know who is responsible for what clearly did not sabotage the Olympic Games, but part of the French people’s holidays,” Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin told reporters. France. 2 television on Saturday.
French authorities are on high alert for a possible terrorist attack during the Games, which last until August 11.
Tens of thousands of police and soldiers have been assigned to security duties during the Olympic Games.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
