French rail network hit by arson hours before start of Olympics

France's prosecutors are probing arson attacks that scrambled the country's high-speed rail network for tens of thousands of passengers on July 26, after what officials called premeditated acts of "sabotage" just hours before the Paris Olympics opened.

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The attacks were launched while the French capital was under heavy security ahead of the Games opening ceremony, with 300,000 spectators and an audience of VIPs expected at the event in which up to 7,500 competitors will travel down a 6km stretch of the river Seine on a flotilla of 85 boats.

It will be the first time a Summer Olympics has opened outside the main athletics stadium, a decision fraught with danger at a time when France is on its highest alert for terror attacks.

The fires that affected France's atlantic, northern and eastern lines led to cancellations and delays at a time of particularly heavy traffic for summer holiday travel. Around 800,000 passengers are expected to be affected over the weekend, as the damage is heavy and labour-intensive to repair.