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Track sabotage before the Olympics: regular service soon

Shortly before the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games in Paris, France is shaken by a "massive attack" on the high-speed train network.(Bild: AFP/AFP )

Following a series of arson attacks on the French rail network, Transport Minister Patrice Vergriete declared on Saturday that he expects express trains to be running as planned again at the beginning of the new week. 

"We expect a complete normalization by Monday," Vergriete told the press on Saturday. Since Saturday, the high-speed trains (TGV) on the routes from Paris to the east have been running according to schedule again.

Athletes' transportation is guaranteed
On the routes to the west, south-west and Brittany, however, there are delays and individual train cancellations, the rail operator SNCF said this morning. "At this stage, traffic on the northern axis will remain disrupted on Sunday and should improve again on the Atlantic axis over the weekend." The transportation of the teams to the Olympic Games competitions is guaranteed.

Fires set on routes
On Friday night - just a few hours before the official opening of the Olympic Games in Paris - unknown persons set fire to equipment on several TGV routes. Important connections were damaged, causing delays and train cancellations. More than 800,000 passengers were affected, as the main holiday season is also beginning in France. The disruptions also affected the Eurostar, which connects London with the continent under the English Channel.

So far, no one has claimed responsibility for the attacks. Investigations into the acts of sabotage are still ongoing.