The concomitance of the malicious acts committed last night on SNCF lines leaves no doubt as to the criminal organization set up to harm the Company, the Olympic Games and the country. A foreign initiative cannot be ruled out. And is eerily reminiscent of the Tarnac affair in 2008.
By Bernard Aubin
Between 1 am and 5:30 am on July 26, 2024, five incidents of damage or attempted damage occurred on the SNCF network, targeting electrical or signal boxes on the Lignes à Grande Vitesse (high-speed lines). The LGV Atlantique, Est and Nord have been affected. The LGV Sud-Est was not affected. Several TGVs have been diverted to conventional lines, while others have been canceled altogether.
The Chairman of SNCF has referred to 800,000 passengers affected by this “massive attack”. The restoration of normal TGV traffic cannot be expected before next week.
Traffic paralysis
So-called “safety” railway installations are designed so that, in the event of a malfunction for any number of reasons, train movements are brought to a halt. This is to avoid any risk to passengers. It is difficult to predict when traffic will be restored, as it is first necessary to establish a precise diagnosis of the situation, to provide the equipment needed for repairs, to carry out the necessary work and, above all, to carry out tests before restoring service on the lines concerned. This can take several days, depending on the damage caused.
Is it possible to anticipate these acts?
Malicious acts are committed every day on the SNCF network. The synchronized nature of the acts committed last night makes it all the more difficult to put in place effective countermeasures. The SNCF will undoubtedly learn from these events, but it will remain difficult to place nearly 30,000 km of track and as many installations under constant surveillance.
A precedent set in 2008
Last night’s events are eerily reminiscent of the synchronized acts committed in 2008 (Tarnac incidents). Several groups had already attacked several TGV lines simultaneously, damaging catenaries and bringing trains to a standstill. The young members of the Tarnac group were acquitted in 2028 (see below). The culprits were never found. Let’s hope that this time, the investigations carried out will enable us to trace the criminals and, above all, their mastermind.
Bernard Aubin
Former Transport Operations Engineer – FiRST Union (Independent Federation of Rail and Transport Unions)