More Olympics travel woes as thousands stuck after storms cancel high-speed trains from Paris

A local storm Wednesday interrupted all high-speed train traffic connecting Paris to the southeast of the country as well as Switzerland in both directions, France’s rail company said, leaving thousands of travelers stranded amid the Olympics and departures for summer vacation.

The SNCF said all the fast trains leaving from and arriving at the Gare de Lyon train station in the French capital were immobilized due to a tree that fell on the tracks and was hit by a train in Burgundy, southeast of the French capital. Regular-speed trains use separate tracks and haven’t been affected.

Authorities cut the power off the track and a logging operation has already started to remove the tree, but initial observations showed the matter won’t be fixed quickly, the SNCF said, adding that all on that line were being brought back to a station in order to help people find alternatives travel modes, the company added.

This comes after France’s train traffic was severely disrupted last week after acts of sabotage ahead of the Olympic Games opening ceremony. High-speed train services had been fully restored earlier this week.

National weather agency Meteo France warned about a risk of “locally strong” thunderstorms, including heavy rains and wind, in most French regions on Wednesday. The storm warning has been placed on the lower level on a three-tier scale in the Paris region, and on the middle level in most parts of central and southeastern France.

Most of France was also under heat warnings Wednesday for the third consecutive day, with temperatures in Paris hitting 31 degrees Celsius (88 degrees Fahrenheit), Meteo France said.

This week it was reported that air fares for last-minute flights from the UK to Paris are falling as anger grows in the Olympic host city about what tourism businesses are calling le flop.

Budget airlines are cutting fares in an attempt to fill planes to a city described by one hotelier as “empty”.

With the Olympics underway in Paris last week, hotel operators have made a final push to lure last-minute travelers, lowering prices and dropping minimum stay requirements after some people balked at what they saw as price-gouging prior to the games.

The Paris Tourist office said on Monday that average hotel prices during the games have fallen to 258 euros per night - down from 342 euros earlier in the summer, which at that time represented a 70% increase from the average 202 euro price in July 2023. Travel agents say people may encounter discounts ranging from 10% to as much as 70% as operators offer deals after demand for the Games fell below expectations due to high prices and security concerns.

“The hospitality industry in France and worldwide has undoubtedly been taught a lesson against price-gouging when looking to capitalize on major events,” said Tim Hentschel, CEO of Hotel Planner, a travel booking website that powers reservations for 1.4 million properties globally.

Hotel Planner said it is seeing a drop of as much as 66% in average hotel prices for four-star hotels in Paris through early August.