Arsonists today paralysed France’s TGV network on its Atlantic, North and East routes, just hours before the opening of the Paris-2024 Olympic Games.

The public operator of the train network SNCF denounced a criminal act aimed at damaging its facilities, which forced it to cancel departures and delay others.

According to the entity, the disruption to TGV traffic is expected to last through the weekend in an effort to repair the problems, with reports indicating at least 800,000 passengers affected and a tense situation at Paris’s Montparnasse station, one of the busiest in the country.

The sabotage, described as criminal acts, against the railways does not directly affect the Olympic Games, but it does affect people leaving the city for their summer holidays.

In statements to the press, the resigned transport minister, Patrice Vergriete, insisted on the criminal nature of the fires, given the evidence found on the ground and the coordination, since they all took place at the same time.

For his part, the Paris police prefect, Laurent Nuñez, announced a reinforcement of security in the capital’s train stations, where users are concentrated.

Amélie Oudéa-Castéra, the resigned Minister of Sport, also reacted to the sabotage with a condemnation.

It is worrying, to act against the Olympic Games is to act against France, against its own countryside, against its country,» she said.