What we know about Eurostar disruption ahead of Paris Olympics

Eurostar has cancelled one in four trains after “coordinated” vandalism disrupted France’s high-speed railway network ahead of the Paris Olympics.

The rail operator, which runs international services from London St Pancras, confirmed on Friday that several trains to Paris had been cancelled and others were diverted or subject to delays because of the ongoing issues over the Channel.

Eurostar customers have been told to cancel their trips where possible.

The disruption comes hours ahead of the opening of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games and as millions embark on summer getaways.

French rail company SNCF said several high-speed TGV lines had been hit by "acts of vandalism", leaving trains cancelled and queues forming.

It warned that the situation - which emerged ahead of the Olympics opening ceremony on Friday night - could last "at least all weekend", potentially causing chaos for the games.

Writing on X, French prime minister Gabriel Attal said the consequences of the "acts of sabotage" were “massive and serious”.

What we know

SNCF said a series of incidents overnight had affected travel to and from London beneath the Channel, to Belgium and across the west, north and east of France.

French transport minister Patrice Vergriete told broadcasters incendiary devices had been discovered and people had fled from fires.

In total, three fires were reported near the tracks of the French Atlantique, Nord and Est high-speed lines by local media.

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."

SNCF told AFP: "This is a massive attack on a large scale to paralyse the TGV network."

It said several routes had been disrupted, including the line between Lille and Paris, the Atlantic line and the route between Paris and eastern France, with reports suggesting the issues were a result of arson attacks on the lines.

It was suggested that the arson attacks were "co-ordinated" and aimed at sabotaging the rail network.

Jean-Pierre Farandou, CEO of the SNCF, said thousands of personnel are being mobilised to assist passengers and repair the network, but it is anticipated that the issues will persist until Sunday

“I am thinking of all the French who won't be able to go on holiday today, or those who will leave in worse conditions,” he told French TV network BFM TV.

“It will certainly last the whole weekend, because it will take a long time to fix....it's a day of sadness today.”

Transport minister Vergriete wrote on X: "I strongly condemn these criminal actions which will compromise the vacation departures of many French people. A big thank you to the #SNCF teams, on the bridge to restore traffic conditions as quickly as possible."

French sports minister Amelie Oudea-Castera told Sky News: "We’re still in the process of analysing all the impacts, accessing what we’re going to implement as solutions because it’s going to have impacts also over the weekend.”

Prime minister Sir Keir Starmer’s spokeswoman called the situation "concerning" and said the PM was urging people to follow travel advice. A Downing Street spokeswoman said the PM was meant to be travelling on the Eurostar to Paris ahead of the Olympics opening ceremony, but flew to France instead due to the the disruption and delays.

What about Eurostar?

The situation also impacted Eurostar, leading to the cancellation of one in every four trains from Friday to Sunday and extending journey times, the company said.

Eurostar customers have been told to cancel their trips where possible.

The 3.31pm and 7.01pm services from London St Pancras to Paris Gare du Nord have been cancelled, according to its website. The 12.12pm Eurostar train from Paris to London has also been cancelled.

All high speed trains going to and coming from Paris were diverted via the classic line, extending the journey time by around an hour and a half. Several Eurostar trains were cancelled.

Eurostar said customers are being informed via email, SMS and the Eurostar website. Customers can cancel free of charge or be refunded, or modify their journey free of charge, it said.

The majority of Team GB athletes were arriving at the Games via Eurostar. However, The British Olympic Association confirmed that only two athletes were scheduled to arrive on Friday and had been subject to only minor delays.

What we don't know

Nobody has claimed responsibility for the attacks and France's Prime Minister Gabriel Attal said it was too early to speculate about who might be behind them. Two security sources told Reuters that the mode of attack meant initial suspicions fell on leftist militants or environmental activists, but cautioned they did not yet have any evidence.

The Paris prosecutor's office said an investigation would be overseen by its organised crime office, with the anti-terrorist sub-directorate (SDAT), a branch of the judicial police that typically monitors far-left, far-right and radical environmental groups, coordinating investigations.

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said in June that the alliance had seen several examples of "sabotage, of arson attempts" by Russia, but there is no indication that Moscow might have been behind Friday's attacks in France.

The Paris prosecutor’s office has initiated a criminal investigation, warning those found responsible could face extended jail time and significant fines.

It is also not known how long it will take to repair damage caused by the fires, and how long disruption to France's rail network could last.

We don't know how many people will be affected by the issues, but the president of the SNCF group told French news outlet BFMTV on Friday that 800,000 customers had been affected so far.

Read more

• What your rights are if you can't travel to Paris Olympics. "It may mean those booked to attend the Olympic opening ceremony in Paris on Friday or events over the weekend are unable to travel." [Sky News]

• Gridlock at Dover as Olympics and summer getaway cause travel chaos. "Long queues of holidaymakers formed at the Port of Dover in Kent on Friday as the busy summer travel period kicked off." [Independent]

• Olympics travel disruption: How else can I get to Paris?. "Four alternative ways stranded passengers can get to Paris." [PA]

• How Macron's 'crazy' Olympics ceremony along the Seine came about. "France has rolled out its biggest ever security operation to safeguard the Games and its blockbuster opening ceremony." [Reuters]

• Locked-down Paris nervously awaits Olympics opening ceremony. "The centre of Paris is set to be locked down by 45,000 police and gendarmes, 10,000 soldiers, and around 22,000 private security guards." [AFP]