Criminal fire damages signalling cables, halting SNCF services around Toulouse

Authorities reported that a fire of criminal origin ignited fibre-optic cables bordering the tracks south of Toulouse during the night of Tuesday to Wednesday. The incident compromised the railway signalling infrastructure, leading SNCF Réseau to state that repairs would take a substantial portion of the day. Consequently, SNCF Voyageurs warned that train traffic between Toulouse and the surrounding departments of Gers, Ariège and Hautes-Pyrénées was heavily disturbed.

Services on lines serving Auch, Tarbes and the Ariège region experienced significant delays and cancellations in both directions. Police and SNCF confirmed the act as a deliberate act of malice, but no arrests were reported at the time. The disruption is expected to ease once the signalling system is restored later in the day.