After the sabotage that affected several TGV lines Last Friday, the resigning Ministers of the Interior and Transport, Gérald Darmanin and Patrice Vergriete, as well as the SNCF decided to strengthen the protection measures of the rail network.
In a statement, the Interior Ministry said that a meeting had been organized on Thursday 1er August in the morning at Place Beauvau, with Messrs. Darmanin and Vergriete, the CEO of the SNCF, Jean-Pierre Farandou, as well as the security, intelligence and transport services for “take stock” on these sabotages perpetrated a few hours before the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games (July 26-August 11).
Highlighting the involvement of the services in finding the perpetrators of this sabotage, Gérald Darmanin pledged to “strengthen the presence of law enforcement to secure sensitive networks, particularly the railway network, by increasing night-time checks on routes adjacent to railway lines”.
Increased patrols
Last Friday, the Interior Ministry said, the minister had given the prefects “as instructions to strengthen this vigilance and increase patrols near sensitive locations, in conjunction with the SNCF”For his part, Patrice Vergriete, according to the press release, called on the SNCF to “strengthen its monitoring measures for the rail network”. He further asked the company “to be available to the police to facilitate their actions alongside railway security officers”.
The sabotage on Friday at several points on the SNCF high-speed rail network caused massive chaos in the stations, with many travellers planning to travel to the capital to attend the Olympic Games and others to go on holiday.