In France, during the height of the school holidays, an act of vandalism was committed on the high-speed train line in the southeastern part of the country. On Monday night, the perpetrators set fire to railway cables. Train services are severely disrupted. Repair work is underway. An investigation has been launched.
Train services are severely disrupted in southeastern France. The cause was an act of vandalism on the line between Lyon and Avignon.
The SNCF website states that all TGV trains departing from Paris and heading to Lyon have been canceled. As a result, travel to Marseille, Montpellier, and Nice will be difficult. However, the disruptions do not affect the Paris - Lyon line.
In the opposite direction, trains departing from southeastern France to Paris, Lyon, or Strasbourg are delayed by up to five hours. At Lyon-Part-Dieu station, trains to Marseille, as well as services to Luxembourg and Le Havre, have been canceled. The train to Brussels-Midi from Marseille was delayed by five hours around 9:30 AM. At Toulouse-Matabiau station around 8:00 AM, long queues formed at the closed ticket counters due to disruptions on the Toulouse - Lyon line.
The cancellation of trains has affected tens of thousands of passengers.
SNCF stated that the cause of the disruptions was a fire on the signaling cables. Significant delays are expected.
"According to our staff at the scene, repair work will last until the evening. Services may resume this evening, but there will be disruptions. Normal operations are expected to resume tomorrow morning," the company said.
A total of 16 cables, each over 25 meters long, need to be replaced, the company stated.
"Those responsible for this act of vandalism must be identified and severely punished," said Transport Minister Philippe Tabaro.
According to a press release from the Ministry of Transport, the SNCF railway network has strengthened security measures. This includes round-the-clock surveillance of 28,000 km of railway lines by 3,200 security staff in collaboration with the police and gendarmerie, using drones and GPS trackers.
