French rail lines to be restored by Monday, says railway company chief

The French railway company SNCF on Saturday announced normal train services to be restored by Monday following emergency repairs to sabotaged tracks ahead of the opening of the Paris OlympicsJeanPierre Farandou head of SNCF told reporters on Saturday that trains would run as usual from Monday after urgent repairs were completed according to AFPOn the North Brittany and SouthWest highspeed lines seven out of 10 trains on average will run with delays of one to two hours Farandou said reported APThe announcement came after a series of sabotage incidents disrupted highspeed train services across three major lines on FridayFarandou noted that about 160000 of the 800000 passengers expected to travel this weekend were still facing cancellations or delays due to the three arson attacks SNCFs emergency response teams worked through the night to address the damage despite adverse weather conditions reported APAccording to SNCF normal service had resumed on the Eastern highspeed line by Saturday morning However according to the AP report disruptions continued on the North axis with conditions expected to improve on the Atlantic axis over the weekendSNCF has been in communication with customers via text message and email to provide updates on train schedules reported AP Despite the ongoing disruptions the company reportedly confirmed that all transportation for Olympic teams and accredited personnel would proceed as plannedThe sabotage incidents have reportedly heightened security concerns as Paris prepares to host the Olympic Games According to the news agency report French authorities are actively investigating the attacks but have not yet identified or apprehended any suspectsFrench rail lines sabotaged hours before Games opening ceremonyHours away from the grand opening ceremony of the Olympics highspeed rail traffic to the French capital was severely disrupted on Friday by what officials described as criminal actions and sabotageThe incidents paralysed several highspeed lines linking Paris to the rest of France and to neighbouring countries according to Transport Minister Patrice Vergriete Speaking on BFM television Vergriete described people fleeing from the scene of fires and the discovery of incendiary devices at the site ldquoEverything indicates that these are criminal firesrdquo he saidAs Paris authorities geared up for a parade along the Seine River amid tightened security three fires were reported near the tracks on the highspeed lines of Atlantique Nord and Est The disruptions particularly affected Parisrsquos major Montparnasse station Videos posted on social networks showed the hall of the station saturated with travellersTravel to and from London beneath the English Channel to neighbouring Belgium and across the west north and east of France was affectedGovernment officials denounced the acts though they said there was no immediate sign of a direct link to the Olympics National police said authorities were investigating the incidents French media reported a major fire on a busy western routeWith inputs from AP and AFP