FRANCE: Sabotage of France's high-speed rail system adds to havoc caused by strikes

Record ID: 340382

  • Title: FRANCE: Sabotage of France's high-speed rail system adds to havoc caused by strikes
  • Date: 22nd November 2007
  • Summary: (SOUNDBITE) (French) UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE TRAVELLER SAYING: "The train left a little late, and then we were blocked because of signalling problems." INFORMATION BOARD SHOWING TRAFFIC INFORMATION DUE TO STRIKES (SOUNDBITE) (French) UNIDENTIFIED MALE TRAVELLER SAYING: "I think it (the sabotage) will cause more trouble for people, more irritation, but I think we can also hope
  • Embargoed: 7th December 2007 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: France
  • Country: France
  • Topics: Crime / Law Enforcement
  • Reuters ID: LVA1Y0BUJ2A0XL95688N9TCPQVJ7
  • Story Text: Coordinated sabotage damages France's high-speed rail network and causes delays to services throughout the country, adding to commuter chaos caused by a nation-wide strike that has moved into its second week.
    Widespread sabotage Wednesday (November 21) damaged France's high-speed rail network and caused huge delays to services already hit by an eight-day transport strike
    "We found out that there were operations of sabotage on all of our speed train lines. This sabotage affected a large part of our cables and also our switchboard,"said Mireille Faugere, Director of Travellers at SNCF, the state rail agency.
    Arsonists are believed to have damaged cabling on the eastern TGV line, preventing trains from running since 6.00 a.m. (0500 GMT) on Wednesday.
    On the western side of the network a fire had damaged 30-km (18 miles).
    The SNCF said it expected the sabotage to cause at least three hours of delays elsewhere on the TGV network that carries the bulk of traffic between the major cities in France.
    "I think it (the sabotage) will cause more trouble for people, more irritation but I think we can also hope that good sense will prevail," said one traveller.
    SNCF management did not say who was behind the sabotage although they had previously warned that union militants might try to damage the network to prevent a return to normal on the network.
    The French government, unions and management resumed negotiations on Wednesday morning aimed at ending the strike that has snarled nation-wide rail traffic and hit public transport in Paris since November 14.
    French President Nicolas Sarkozy said on Tuesday (November 20) he would not go back on his contested pension reform, whichlong-standing privileges for some state workers, but indicated he was ready to make concessions in other areas.
    Although the vast majority of railwayman and Paris transport workers have returned to work, a hard core of unionists have refused to halt their strike and are demanding the complete withdrawal of the centre-right government's pension reform.
    The pensions showdown is the biggest challenge Sarkozy has faced since taking office in May and his government fears its credibility would be destroyed if it gives in to the unions.
    Bolstering Sarkozy, an opinion poll published in the conservative Le Figaro newspaper on Wednesday said 68 percent of people thought the strike was not justified.
    Teachers, postal workers and civil servants returned to work on Wednesday after a one-day strike on Tuesday (November 20) called to protest against the government's economic programme.
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