Metal pipes placed atop overhead power-supply lines in northern France have crippled high-speed rail transport between Paris and other European cities, rail company SNCF said Saturday, according to DPA. It was not known who placed the pipes on the lines between Paris and Lille, but SNCF said it was preparing to file charges for the "malicious act." More than 40 trains between Paris and London, Brussels, Amsterdam and Cologne had to be transferred to traditional tracks, resulting in trains running between one and three hours late. The French railway network management company RFF said the incident was very likely to be "pure vandalism." An RFF spokesman said there was no connection to the transportation of atomic waste through northern France to Germany, but he said the company would have to wait for the outcome of the investigation into the incident. There were repeated waves of vandalism like this, he said. Train transport should return to normal in the afternoon, he added.
