SNCF announces the end of repairs to TGV lines and the resumption of normal traffic from Monday

This Sunday, the situation on the Atlantic axis is "almost normal" and "3 out of 4 TGVs" are running on the North axis, "without any increase in travel time from now on", indicates the SNCF in a press release.

During the night from Thursday to Friday, fiber optic cables passing near the tracks and guaranteeing the transmission of safety information for drivers (red lights, switches, etc.) were cut and set on fire at various strategic signal stations in Courtalain (LGV Atlantique), Croisilles (LGV Nord) and Pagny-Sur-Moselle (LGV Est).

However, a malicious act was foiled on the LGV Sud-Est, in Vergigny (Yonne), by railway workers who were carrying out maintenance operations during the night.

The sabotage caused massive chaos in the stations on Friday at the peak of attendance for departures and returns from summer vacations, and just a few hours before the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games in Paris.

“Thanks to the exceptional mobilization of SNCF Réseau agents who have worked tirelessly since Friday morning, the repair work is now completely finished on all the high-speed lines affected by the acts of sabotage,” reported SNCF on Sunday.

“The test phases were successful and the lines can now be used normally,” he added.

“As of Monday morning, there will be no more disruption,” assures the public railway company.

The president of the National Federation of User Associations (Fnaut), François Delétraz, praised Sunday on franceinfo the “prowess” achieved “in two days” by SNCF agents to “almost bring traffic back up to standard”.

At the same time, he judged that customer service was "below everything" in terms of communication on the conditions of reimbursement and exchange, deploring that users had to buy a new ticket to make the journey initially planned.

The SNCF indicates on Sunday that reimbursement requests must be made on https://tout-oui.sncf.com/.

The ticket is “fully exchangeable and refundable free of charge” for travelers who were to take a TGV on July 26, 27 or 28 whose train was canceled or who did not go to the station “in accordance with our instructions”, specifies the SNCF.

Those whose train was delayed more than 30 minutes can receive compensation under the usual conditions.

The SNCF had estimated the number of people affected at 800.000.

A “same structure”

The sabotage operation was "well prepared", organized by "the same structure", indicated a source close to the investigation, opened by the Paris prosecutor's office.

A message of support for the sabotage was received on Saturday by several media outlets. Signed "an unexpected delegation", it justifies the actions and criticizes the Olympic Games by resorting to a dialectic used by activists of the anarchist ultra-left.

However, no details on the actions carried out are provided. So, according to a source close to the matter, it is "not a demand strictly speaking", but rather a message of support for sabotage, to welcome it.

“Nothing really serious,” according to another source close to the matter.

Samples taken at the various locations were sent to experts from the Criminal Research Institute of the National Gendarmerie (IRCGN) for urgent analysis. This exploitation of the seals did not “provide anything convincing,” a source close to the matter told AFP on Sunday.