Paris rail lines back to 'normal' after crippling coordinated attacks

July 28 (UPI) -- Commuter train service has returned to normal in and around Paris after an organized and coordinated campaign to disrupt critical rail lines paralyzed traffic just hours before the Paris Olympics opening ceremonies, officials announced Sunday.

Normal service is scheduled to resume Monday, the French national rail operator SNCF said.

The organized attack crippled the rail lines and the plans of tens of thousands of people who relied on them for routine commuter travel, as well as some 800,000 who were scheduled to depart Paris on summer holiday travel as the Olympics got underway.

The rail agency said many of the lines and routes were back to operating nearly normally and service would be fully restored Monday, "without any increase in travel time from now on."

"Thanks to the exceptional efforts of SNCF Network staff, who worked nonstop since Friday morning, repairs are now fully completed on all the high-speed rail services affected by the sabotage attacks," the operator said.

"Tests have been conclusive and the train lines are now able to function as normal. There will be no more disruption from Monday morning onward.

Saboteurs set fire to signal boxes at key spots along the rain lines and cut cables and power lines late Thursday and early Friday, SNCF said, which caused major disruptions in the north and east of France.

"Coordinated malicious acts targeted several TGV lines last night and will seriously disrupt traffic until this weekend," Patrice Vergriete, France's transport minister, said on social media. "I strongly condemn these criminal actions which will compromise the departures on vacation of many French people."

An investigation continues into finding out who launched the attacks and why, French authorities said.

Officials deployed 40 railway police units and 50 drones to monitor the rail network. 1,000 maintenance workers were engaged in repairing the damage, SNCF said.