Storm Disrupts High-Speed Train Traffic in France Amid Summer Departures

A local storm on Wednesday halted all high-speed train traffic between Paris and southeast France, including Switzerland. Thousands of travelers were stranded, with disruptions caused by a fallen tree on the tracks. The incident follows previous disruptions due to sabotage ahead of the Olympic Games.

A local storm on Wednesday interrupted all high-speed train traffic connecting Paris to the southeast of the country, as well as Switzerland in both directions, France's rail company said. Thousands of travelers were stranded amid the Olympics and summer vacation departures.

The SNCF reported that all fast trains leaving from and arriving at the Gare de Lyon train station in Paris were immobilized. This was due to a tree that fell on the tracks and was struck by a train in Burgundy, southeast of the capital. Regular-speed trains on separate tracks remained unaffected.

Authorities cut power to the affected track and have initiated logging operations to remove the tree. However, early assessments indicate that the issue will not be resolved quickly. The SNCF added that all trains bound for that line were being brought back to a station to help people find alternative travel modes.

This comes shortly after France's train services were severely disrupted last week due to acts of sabotage ahead of the Olympic Games opening ceremony. The high-speed train services had resumed earlier this week.

National weather agency Meteo France warned of potential 'locally strong' thunderstorms, including heavy rains and wind, across most French regions on Wednesday. The storm warning was set to a lower level in the Paris region and a middle level in central and southeastern France. Most of France was also under heat warnings, with temperatures in Paris reaching 31 degrees Celsius (88 degrees Fahrenheit).