Following a coordinated attack on the installations of several high-speed lines, TGV traffic has been seriously disrupted. The disruptions will extend over the entire weekend. 800,000 passengers are affected according to the SNCF.
Several TGV lines were subject to malicious attacks shortly before 6 a.m. on July 26, 2024. This was not a cyberattack, but rather fires targeting very specific electrical installations on several high-speed lines.
On the eve of a big weekend of departures and returns from vacations and a few hours before the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games, the consequences will be heavy for all travelers who had planned to take the train on several routes. Moreover, the SNCF invites travelers to “postpone their trip and not go to the station.”
TGV traffic is thus seriously degraded on the Atlantic, North and East routes of France. Many trains will be cancelled throughout the weekend and many delays are expected. A return to normal is not expected before Monday, July 29, but the traffic forecasts for the weekend published on 26/07 at 6 p.m. are already more optimistic than the initial estimates, thanks to the work of the SNCF teams.
To follow developments in rail traffic:
You can follow the traffic evolution on the SNCF websiteeach LGV line also has its own monitoring:
For information on cancelled and delayed Eurostar trains, you can visit Eurostar tracking page.
If you want to observe the trains running in real time, the interactive map tchoo.net will give you a good idea of the situation
SNCF will contact all affected passengers by email or SMS to inform them of the situation. You can check the status of your ticket on the platform that sold you your ticket: SNCF connect or Trainline.
Who is concerned ?
800,000 travelers will be affected by the consequences of this attack between July 26 and 28. A chance for all travelers to the South-East of France: the malicious act was foiled, traffic is normal. They will not swell the ranks of passengers in trouble.
The disruptions are still different depending on the destinations:
To the west
The Atlantic High Speed Line is the most severely affected axis. The damage impacts both branches: between Paris and Tours and between Paris and Le Mans. All TGV departures from Montparnasse station were suspended on the morning of July 26. The first TGVs should run from 1 p.m., but the resumption will only be partial and gradual (this information updated at 12:45 p.m.).
Trains will be diverted to conventional lines with extended journey times throughout the day. Delays and cancellations are expected on TGV Inoui, Intercités, Ouigo to western France.
(Updated on 26/07 at 8 p.m.) The forecast for this weekend is 2 out of 3 trains from Saturday, bound for Brittany and the South West. Delays of 1 to 2 hours are expected. Traffic should improve on the Atlantic axis for returns this weekend.
To the north, the United Kingdom and Belgium
The LGV of the North of France is also affected on the axis between Paris and Lille, with a transfer of TGV Inoui and Ouigo to the classic lines. Several Eurostars connecting Paris and London have been cancelled for today, and 25% of the trains scheduled for the weekend will also be cancelled. Disruptions will also be present on the connections with Brussels.
(Updated on 26/07 at 8 p.m.) Traffic on the North axis is expected to reach 80% of trains, with delays of 1 to 2 hours. Traffic will remain disrupted on Sunday.
Towards eastern France and Germany
Traffic to eastern France is also disrupted, but trains to Reims and Châlons-en-Champagne are not affected.
(Updated on 07/26 at 8 p.m.) Train traffic to the East of France will resume normally this Saturday, July 27 from 6 a.m.
Exchange and refund of trips planned for the weekend
Faced with a large number of trains being diverted or cancelled, passengers are being asked by the SNCF to postpone their journeys to limit the chaos in stations and on departing trains (not cancelled).
« We ask all travellers who can to postpone their journey and not to go to the station. All tickets for these disrupted journeys are exchangeable and refundable..” publicly clarified the SNCF on his account X.
The exceptional situation allows you to postpone and cancel TGV tickets for free, even if your fare does not normally allow it. Red vests are also deployed at the station to help travelers.
The chatbot sncf will help you with your online exchange/cancellation procedures.
Source: www.numerama.com
