Paris Olympics carnage as rail network sabotaged in 'malicious attack' ahead of opening ceremony

Paris Olympics spectators could face travel disturbances after a significant arson assault was made on the country's railway system, impacting nearly 800,000 people.

Unidentified individuals attacked the TGV high-speed train network mere hours before the inaugural ceremony was to be held on the River Seine. Reports indicate that these culprits ignited fires at vital facilities causing TGV, which provides coverage across France, to cancel several trips including those intended to transport sports enthusiasts to the capital.

Transport Minister Patrice Vergriete confirmed the incident, stating that there were numerous "coordinated malicious acts" on Friday. According to him, this event will also affect many French citizens' vacation plans.

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He added: "All the evidence in our possession shows that it was deliberate, with simultaneous schedules, everything happened at the same time. Everything indicates to us that these were indeed arson attacks."

Gerald Darmanin from the French Interior Ministry emphasized that "the terrorist threat remains high". The primary fire was identified early on Friday near the Courtalain tracks, located in the Eure-et-Loir department, disrupting traffic on the heavily frequented line.

SNCF, France's national railway company, has been thrown into chaos after TGV Inoui and Ouigo trains were rerouted onto conventional lines, leading to cancellations and significantly extended travel times. Major Parisian hubs like Montparnasse are swamped with stranded passengers as services to surrounding areas such as Tours and Le Mans have been axed.

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An official disclosed that Gare du Nord the central hub for Eurostar services in Paris has been severely impacted by deliberate sabotage efforts targeting the railways. A slew of Eurostar trains have either been scrapped or delayed due to the widespread disruption, which also affects the train route between Paris and Lille.

"Numerous stations are affected, including Garde du Nord, with services across France cancelled or delayed," he confirmed.

With thousands from the UK set to embark on a journey to Paris by train today for the Olympics kickoff, the timing couldn't be worse. The spokesperson revealed that the network had fallen prey to "a massive arson attack to paralyze the TGV network".

He warned that the upheaval is expected to "last at least the whole weekend", causing ripple effects throughout the entire system.

SNCF said in a statement: "Last night, the SNCF was victim of several acts of vandalism on the Atlantic, Northern and Eastern high-speed lines. Fires were deliberately set to damage our installations."

Eurostar said in a statement: "Due to coordinated acts of malice in France, affecting the high speed line between Paris and Lille, all high speed trains going to and coming from Paris are being diverted via the classic line today Friday 26 July. This extends the journey time by around an hour and a half. Several trains have been cancelled."