Eurostar cancels quarter of train services ahead of Olympics after arson attacks on French railway

International rail operator Eurostar said it would cancel a quarter of its services on Friday and over the weekend, after France's high-speed rail network faced coordinated acts of vandalism just ahead of the opening of the Olympic Games in Paris.

Domestic rail services were also widely disrupted.

French railway operator SNCF said in a statement that its network had experienced several concurrent attacks early Friday morning, with fire damaging its facilities and its fiber optic lines. The high-speed LGV Atlantique line between Paris and Bordeaux was hit, along with northern and eastern lines, causing knock-on disruption that SNCF expected will impact hundreds of thousands of people through the weekend.

SNCF later said that a "very gradual resumption" of services had taken place since 1 p.m. local time in France, with delays still continuing across the country's high-speed rail network. The company is expected to give an update on the situation later this afternoon.

Eurostar and SNCF advised passengers to delay or cancel travel if possible, offering free journey changes or refunds.

The attacks come just ahead of the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games, due to take place along Paris' River Seine at 7:30 p.m. local time (1:30 p.m. ET) on Friday. The display is set to feature tens of thousands of athletes and spectators along with a heavy police presence.

Eurostar services, which connect the U.K., France, Belgium, the Netherlands and Germany, were hit by disruption to the high-speed line between Paris and Lille in northern France.

Passengers are being diverted onto local, slower lines to and from the French capital, extending journey times by around an hour and a half, alongside the cancellations.

Transport Minister Patrice