France has stepped up security on the country's rail network with thousands of workers scrambling to repair damaged lines

France will step up security on the country's rail network, using human and technical resources to step up ground and air monitoring of the network, the national railway company SNCF said after a malicious attack on the high-speed rail network.

French Prime Minister Bertrand Attard said the malicious operation was well planned and coordinated, targeting key facilities, indicating that the attackers had some knowledge of the rail network and knew where to strike.

No group has claimed responsibility for the attack.

Thousands of employees are repairing damaged lines and working to restore service. An estimated 250,000 passengers were affected on Friday (July 26). SNCF said about a quarter of its trains would be canceled over the weekend, while those still running would face delays. Eurostar also said it canceled about a quarter of its trains between London, Paris, Brussels and Amsterdam and expected to cancel about a fifth of its trains over the weekend, with all services facing delays.

British Prime Minister Starmer will fly to Paris for the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games instead of taking a high-speed train, and four special trains carrying Olympic athletes to Paris will continue to operate.