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LBC
A spate of arson attacks on France’ s rail network have brought chaos to the start of the Paris Olympics today. With just hours to go before the opening ceremony on the River Seine on Friday, fires were started at key installations overnight, grinding trains to a halt.
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Hours before the opening ceremony on the River Seine on Friday gets underway, fires were started at key installations overnight, grinding trains to a halt.
Multiple services have been cancelled bringing chaos to fans and tourists into the French capital.
French Transport Minister Patrice Vergriete said there was a series of “coordinated malicious acts” with a series of fires on the network.
The attacks were focused on the TGV high speed train network which covers the whole of France and will be a crucial network for Olympics fans.
Beyond the Olympics, Vergriete said the “criminal actions will compromise the holiday departures of many French people.
Eurostar advised passengers travelling to Paris on Friday to postpone their trip. As of 8am on Friday, it was still expecting to run trains out of St Pancras but they were expected to arrive an hour late.
A message on Eurostar’s website said: “Due to a problem with the overhead power supply in France today, we advise you to postpone your trip as your train is likely to be delayed due to infrastructure issues.”