Olympics 2024 – live: France rail networks hit by arson attacks as trains cancelled ahead of opening ceremony

Arson and travel disruption is far from the only chaos at the Olympics so far.

The Games haven’t even officially begun but we’ve already seen Chinese swimmer doping scandals, pitch invasions and players being pelted with bottles during Argentina v Morocco and the Canadian women’s football team accused of spying on opponents using drones.

Carnage has hit Paris 2024 and shows no sign of slowing down

Simon Calder, Travel Correspondent of The Independent, has spent the morning at London St Pancras.

He writes: “Normally Eurostar passengers who are desperate to travel would simply switch to flights – paying whatever it takes to fly on British Airways or Air France from Heathrow, or easyJet from Luton or Gatwick, or Vueling from Gatwick or Heathrow.

“But the no-fly zone being imposed for the opening ceremony of the Olympics means all flights must cease in late afternoon.

“On one of the busiest travel days of the year, planes will be excluded from a vast area of northern France for over five hours during the opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympics. The ban has been imposed due to fears of a terrorist attack.

“A no-fly zone covering 28,922 square miles – almost the size of Belgium – has been ordered by the French civil aviation authority, the DGAC, on Friday afternoon and evening.

“The Zone d’Interdiction Temporaire (ZIT) includes both the giant Paris airports – Charles de Gaulle (CDG) and Orly – as well as Beauvais, a key budget airline base north of the capital. Normally the three would handle more than 350,000 passengers between them on a peak summer Friday.

“Almost all planes will be banned from a circle with a radius of 80 nautical miles centred on Notre-Dame cathedral in Paris from 6.30pm to 12 midnight local time.

“The final Friday departure from London is on Vueling from Heathrow to Paris Orly at 2pm, and the last seat on that was sold at 10.20am for over £400. There are no seats on any direct flight from London for the rest of the day.”

“On Saturday, Air France has three flights available from London Heathrow to Paris CDG in the afternoon and evening, with fares ranging from £259 to £517.”

France’s “intelligence services and law enforcement agencies” have been “mobilised” following arson attacks on railway lines, France’s prime minister has said.

Gabriel Attal said officers had been asked to “find and punish the perpetrators of these criminal acts”.

He described the consequences for the rail network as “massive and serious”.

The likely disruption later in the day for Eurostar travellers is becoming apparent, The Independent’s travel correspondent Simon Calder reports.

The first train from Paris Gare due Nord has just arrived at London St Pancras International, 82 minutes behind schedule. It was routed along “classic” lines in northern France because the TGV Nord high-speed line is closed.

Many other high-speed trains – linking Paris with northern France, Brussels and Amsterdam – are also trying to fit into the 19th-century infrastructure.

Eurostar was planning to run a record 18 trains today from London to Paris, many of them filled to the maximum capacity of 900.

The morning departures are leaving on schedule, because there are no problems with the High Speed 1 line to the Channel Tunnel – which itself is open as normal.

As delays build up, Eurostar will find it impossible to operate the planned schedule, since train crew and rolling stock will not be available as intended.

The Independent is seeking clarification from Eurostar about the trains that have been cancelled.

Eurostar asked passengers to postpone their travel where possible on Friday after its rail services between London and Paris were disrupted by acts of vandalism in France.

“We encourage our customers to postpone their trip if possible,” the rail operator said in a statement.

Earlier it said “coordinated malicious acts in France” had caused several cancellations and services coming into and out of Paris were having to use slower routes.

France’s former tourism minister, Olivia Gregoire, has said those responsible for the attacks should be ashamed of themselves.

In a statement on X, she wrote: “Shame on the vandals who are preventing many families from going on holiday, just a few hours before the opening ceremony of the Olympic and Paralympic Games.”

A “massive attack” against France’s high-speed TGV rail network was an “outrageous criminal act”, transport minister Patrice Vergriete said on Friday, hours ahead of the Paris Olympics opening ceremony.

There would be “very serious consequences” for rail traffic throughout the weekend with connections towards northern, eastern and northwestern France halved, Mr Vergriete added.