Reports from Francde say the rail network is under attack by arsonists and saboteurs
French railway attack live: Country 'under attack' in Olympics transport sabotage (telegraph.co.uk)
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10:09am‘Probably large-scale sabotage’ - sports minister9:28amAll Eurostar trains to Gare du Nord disrupted9:15am‘The French are under attack’9:01amEurostar diverts trains from Paris8:57am250,000 train passengers affected by ‘deliberate attack’French train lines hit by 'malicious acts' disrupting traffic ahead of Olympics, rail company says (msn.com)French railways sabotaged in ‘massive arson attack’ hours before Olympics begins (msn.com)
NOTE - I think any speculation as to who is behind this - it's obviously coordinated and targeted - will run foul of forum guidelines on political discussion. We can discuss the what, but not the who and why.
Still photograph shows damaged SNCF railway network cables | Watch (msn.com)
COL BEAUSABRE NOTE - I think any speculation as to who is behind this - it's obviously coordinated and targeted - will run foul of forum guidelines on political discussion. We can discuss the what, but not the who and why.
Right. And up until now I don't believe any group has claimed "credit" for the attacks. Any speculation on the subject would be just that.
It's just the French being French. Their holiday season coincides with their protest season.
Just another report: From BBC with map and other details:
France trains: Arson attackers targeted rail network's 'nerve centres', French PM says, as services slowly resume - BBC News
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"A stranger's just a friend you ain't met yet." --- Dave Gardner
Backshop It's just the French being French. Their holiday season coincides with their protest season.
Sort of reminds me of how a professor of European history at Penn State once defined the difference between how the Germans, English, and French would respond to being stuck on a train that had broken down.
The Germans would sit stocially discussing the probable engineering issues and how to resolve them. The English would pen letters to the Minister of Transport expressing their dismay at the delay. And the French would rip up the train!
Rio Grande Valley, CFI,CFII
PJS1 Backshop It's just the French being French. Their holiday season coincides with their protest season. Sort of reminds me of how a professor of European history at Penn State once defined the difference between how the Germans, English, and French would respond to being stuck on a train that had broken down. The Germans would sit stocially discussing the probable engineering issues and how to resolve them. The English would pen letters to the Minister of Transport expressing their dismay at the delay. And the French would rip up the train!
Featured the French would make amorus use of the delay time.
Never too old to have a happy childhood!
Honestly, I think the sabotage is probably a wasted effort in all respects. I don't see how this will influence anyone on any issue. So I almost want to point a finger at who I suspect is responsible because it kind of fits with the Fred Flintstone & Barney Rubble type approach of a specific country (perhaps influenced by General Bam-Bam). I could be wrong of course and time will tell so will wait in see on this.
CMStPnPHonestly, I think the sabotage is probably a wasted effort in all respects. I don't see how this will influence anyone on any issue. So I almost want to point a finger at who I suspect is responsible because it kind of fits with the Fred Flintstone & Barney Rubble type approach of a specific country (perhaps influenced by General Bam-Bam). I could be wrong of course and time will tell so will wait in see on this.
One outlet was attributing it to the 'Russian Chaos' theory, since Russia 'as a country' is prohibited from competing because of the PED fiasco from the Moscow Olympics were the Russian testing organization, passed all the Russian participants even though subsequent testing of the 'B' samples after the event teste positive.
BaltACDOne outlet was attributing it to the 'Russian Chaos' theory, since Russia 'as a country' is prohibited from competing because of the PED fiasco from the Moscow Olympics were the Russian testing organization, passed all the Russian participants even though subsequent testing of the 'B' samples after the event teste positive.
Looks like sour grapes to me as well for motivation. If Russia did not do it directly they certainly had a hand in it. Too much intel and coordination needed for an operation like this without an outside country backing it. Also, the fact they took great pains to make sure nobody was hurt.......thus avoiding potentially an Article 5 invocation of the NATO treaty. France may or maynot come out and say that.
Also on the Fiber Optic cables, very difficult to splice those once they are damaged and they have to be heavily tested once spliced to make sure they are operating at 100%. Because as most know, glass impurities refract and reflect light vs transmit it. Hence the issue there with time to repair at least that was an issue long ago, not sure if it still is or if splicing ability has improved.
There were good field-splice kits for both local and 'backbone' fiber prior to the early-2000s tech crash. EXFO in particular had a good understanding of what was needed and how to inject test signals into the fiber while the splice was made.
As with rail defects: if you "find something" like a crack or spall via a TDR, you just cut out the affected length and do the equivalent of two Boutet splices (one for the fiber and one for the cladding -- the actual process is more complex technically, of course, but all the stuff necessary is in the field kits) at each end, with a length of suitable replacement fiber. Then the jacketing and armoring can be put back.
OvermodThere were good field-splice kits for both local and 'backbone' fiber prior to the early-2000s tech crash. EXFO in particular had a good understanding of what was needed and how to inject test signals into the fiber while the splice was made. As with rail defects: if you "find something" like a crack or spall via a TDR, you just cut out the affected length and do the equivalent of two Boutet splices (one for the fiber and one for the cladding -- the actual process is more complex technically, of course, but all the stuff necessary is in the field kits) at each end, with a length of suitable replacement fiber. Then the jacketing and armoring can be put back.
And how long does that all take, including testing?
CMStPnPAnd how long does that all take, including testing?
They would likely cut in at the nearest fiber amplifier locations either side and use TDRs (time-domain reflectometers) to determine the length of the deflicted section. The only real 'time-consuming' part would be pulling new fiber if a substantial length is affected -- normal installation involves either extra space in the conduit or enclosure, or direct burial that can be trenched out, with care for minimum radius for fiber+jacket... there was a lot or 'revealed wisdom' about pulling and replacing fiber in the bad old days of the center flaws in multimode fiber!
As splicing is done, the people monitoring the 'ends' report patency, until TDR reports no hint of reflection. Signals are then injected at each wavelength used (this is the 'polyspectral' part) to assure the repair is complete.
Field reassembly of the jacketing and armoring might take a few hours to apply and 'cure', but it is likely that the fiber itself could be put back in service, if needed, while that is going on. There is a slight risk of breakage while the repackaging and re-laying is being conducted, but that is easily detected and addressed.
Have no idea what the SNCF standards for installing fiber is. However, around here all aerial fiber has a loop back of about 25 feet every block or so. Then if fiber cable is broken only one splice will be needed instead of 2 splices which is very time consuming. As well the repair man can have this slack pulled down so the splicing can be done in the clean trailer.
SNCF will need some kind of clean location to do the splices.
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