An investigation was opened for voluntary degradation of electric cables. The SNCF speaks of an “malicious act” and invites “travelers who can postpone their trips”.
MO12345LEMONDE with AFP
Traffic at the Gare de l’Est in Paris will be interrupted “all day” Tuesday, January 24 and “strongly disturbed” Wednesday following a “voluntary fire on electric cables” in Seine-et-Marne . “A dozen SNCF network agents are at work to repair as quickly as possible,” said a spokesperson. The Meaux prosecutor’s office announced the opening of an investigation for voluntary degradation and endangering the life of others.
TGV as well as part of the TER and trains on line P of the Transilien cannot enter or leave the station since Tuesday morning. The trafficking of the RERs, the southern banche of the P and the terminals connecting Paris, Troyes and Mulhouse circulating for their part normally, said the SNCF.
Wednesday, traffic will be “strongly disturbed”, at the start or arrival of the East station, warns the railway company in a situation point at the end of the afternoon. “There will be one in three train on the East TGV line, one in two train for Transilien on line P (Meaux and Château-Thierry) line,” said the SNCF. The service will be “suitable” for the Grand-Est TER with “Ile-de-France stations. “We already invite travelers who can postpone their movements scheduled for tomorrow,” recommends the railway company.
“Petrol traces”
The Minister of Transport had said at midday on Tuesday “not being able to guarantee” a resumption of trains traffic on Wednesday. Clément Beaune, who was expressed there in front of several journalists, denounced “a scandalous malicious act which must be sanctioned and condemned”, and mentioned a “fairly exceptional, very serious incident”. He mentioned “fuel traces” and a fire “in two targeted points”. “I regret the impact for many people,” he said in the morning on franceinfo.
The SNCF had reported earlier in the morning of a “malicious act” in a referral post which caused the total interruption, at the start and on arrival, the traffic of TGV and Ter , as well as the Transilian line P. “Around 3 am, a cage containing the electrical wiring of the SNCF traffic panels was opened, and the fire put in it. An SNCF agent called the police around 4:30 a.m.,” said the France-Presse agency A police source. The Twitter page of the Transilian line P reports “a fire in a technical room in the Vaires sector” (Seine-et-Marne).
❌ #infotrafic #lignep 1/2
Following an act of vandalism (fire on electrical cables in a room TE… https://t.co/1ujsptijkz “/p>- linep_sncf (@Ligne p)
Some TGV diverted to the North Gare
“It is an act of unacceptable vandalism”, denounced Anne-Marie Palmier, director of production zone Ile-de-France of SNCF Réseau during a press point held in the middle of the morning. No less than 48 electric beams, or about 600 cables, were burned. Insofar as they give information to referral stations, “security is no longer ensured,” she added, adding that the company had filed a complaint.
“We have implemented information [for] travelers on all of our sites, red vests [volunteers responsible for orienting travelers] were deployed. Travelers who had a reservation were informed “said Christophe Fanichet, CEO of SNCF Travelers.
Some TGVs have been diverted to the Gare du Nord, very close to the East Gare, where some 41 million travelers pass by SNCF figures dating from 2019 each year. It serves the Grand-Est as well as international destinations like Germany and Luxembourg.