Paris, July 26: French high-speed rail networks including Eurostar were hit by arson attacks disrupting travel to and from Paris only hours before the Olympic opening ceremony.
Major hubs in the French capital were severely affected, with Prime Minister Gabriel Attal saying there would be “massive and serious” consequences both for people trying to travel to Paris and for those heading to other parts of the country or across the Channel.Security has been incredibly tight in the centre of Paris in preparation for the ambitious opening ceremony, which will see athletes travel along the Seine in a flotilla of boats.Trains from London to Paris and Lille were being delayed by around an hour and a half, with a quarter cancelled. Eurostar said this would remain the case over the weekend, with the service not back to normal until Monday.All high-speed trains to and from Paris have been diverted to a slower line and the company urged customers to postpone their journeys if possible.
Hundreds of thousands of people were anticipated to be affected by the disruption, including two German show jumpers who were held up in Belgium and will now miss the ceremony, German news agency dpa reported.
The majority of Team GB athletes are 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.
