<\/ins> <\/div>\n\u201cIt\u2019s difficult to accept because obviously we\u2019ve been working for months to make sure that everything was going to happen properly and today, it\u2019s hard to accept,\u201d he told reporters in front of the Montparnasse train station.<\/p>\n
Over the last few weeks, French government officials have evoked the possibility of the far left or Russia trying to sabotage the Games. Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin told RTL radio on Friday that four attack plans targeting the Olympics had been foiled in the past few weeks by his services.<\/p>\n
The disruptions come amid heightened security across Paris, with some 45,000 police and military officials on patrol and barriers set up around the Seine ahead of an opening ceremony that will feature boats sailing down the river, the first of its kind. In preparation, large sections of the city have been cordoned off, with Olympic sites, train stations, tourist landmarks guarded by gun-toting officers, including counter-terrorism units and the military.<\/p>\n
Eurostar said its services to London and Brussels from Paris were affected, and several trains have been canceled or delayed. It said high-speed trains going to and from Paris will be diverted, extending the journey time by around an hour and a half. At Gare du Nord, Paris\u2019s Eurostar train station, a long line of people waited to reschedule their trips.<\/p>\n
Nabeel, a 24-year-old trainee analyst who lives and works in London but had been visiting his family in the Paris region, said he was able to switch to a slightly later train with no problem. He said he was told his trip would take longer than usual.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn hindsight, I should have chosen another day,\u201d he said, declining to provide his full name for privacy reasons.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, chaos reigned at the key Paris rail hub of Montparnasse, with public address announcements reeling off a series of canceled trains.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve been here for three hours and I\u2019m going home now,\u201d said Julien Mercier, 29, who was headed to Morlaix in Brittany for a three-day weekend with his parents. Carrying his bicycle in a carry-bag and a backpack, he said he\u2019d try to reschedule for later in the summer. \u201cIt is a bit worrying, that they were able to coordinate this, do it today with the Olympics opening and all the security.\u201d<\/p>\n
SNCF said that following the \u201cmalicious acts\u201d fast-train services between Paris and several cities had been suspended and that severe delays were expected across its network.<\/p>\n
\u201cTeams are already on site to carry out the diagnosis and begin repairs,\u201d it said in a statement.<\/p>\n
Transport Minister Vergriete said on TF1 television that traffic is starting to resume.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe should have a third of trains back this afternoon,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
He added that there was no proof the attacks targeted the opening ceremony, but that it had mainly affected the departure of hundreds of thousands of people going on vacation this weekend.<\/p>\n
SNCF\u2019s Farandou said the arson acts were timed for the \u201cday of big departures,\u201d when a large number of French leave for their summer holidays.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s the French that were attacked,\u201d Farandou said.<\/p>\n
Photograph: Passengers wait for train departures at Montparnasse station in Paris on July 26, 2024; photo credit: Thibaud Moritz\/AFP\/Getty Images<\/em><\/p>\nCopyright 2024 Bloomberg.<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n
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