{"id":94807,"date":"2024-07-26T19:09:16","date_gmt":"2024-07-26T09:09:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.railfreight.com\/?p=54869"},"modified":"2024-07-26T19:09:16","modified_gmt":"2024-07-26T09:09:16","slug":"french-rail-falls-victim-to-arson-attack-ahead-of-olympic-games-freight-seems-unaffected","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/?p=94807","title":{"rendered":"French rail falls victim to arson attack ahead of Olympic Games, freight seems unaffected"},"content":{"rendered":"

Arsonists have targeted the French railway network on the opening day of the Olympic Games. France calls it \u201ccoordinated sabotage\u201d. The primary victim seems to be high-speed passenger traffic, so rail freight seems to remain unscathed. The attack highlights the vulnerability of European rail infrastructure.<\/strong>
\n<\/span>The arson attacks occurred on the night ahead of the official opening of the Olympic Games. A representative of Delta Rail, a French multimodal operator, says that \u201crail freight in general does not seem to be affected.\u201d<\/p>\n

It looks like the attacks primarily targeted high-speed passenger traffic, which now needs to detour along old lines. Travel towards the west, north and northeast has become difficult, reports Dutch press agency ANP. An attack in the southeast was prevented.<\/p>\n

“Irresponsible crazies”<\/h2>\n

The director of SNCF, Jean-Pierre Farandou, said that \u201ca bunch of irresponsible crazies\u201d committed the sabotage. They reportedly cut through catenaries and set them on fire. SNCF has not yet pointed to a possible culprit but said that replacing the cables will take time. It hopes to restore usual traffic by Monday.<\/p>\n

The European rail network seems to be an attractive target for subversive activities. In 2023, the EU Agency for Cybersecurity warned of potential attacks on European rail infrastructure. Moreover, the Czech government earlier this year said that Russian hackers had targeted the country\u2019s network and warned that \u201cRussia intends to sabotage European rail infrastructure and to destabilise the EU\u201d.<\/p>\n