A major disruption to train travel will affect Paris today ahead of the Olympics opening ceremony this evening.

Unknown assailants have attacked France's high-speed train network overnight, setting fires along lines linking Paris to other cities such as Lille, Bordeaux and Strasbourg.

State rail operator SNCF issued a statement saying: "Last night, SNCF was the victim of several acts of vandalism on the Atlantic, North and East high-speed lines. The fires were deliberately set to damage our installations."

Travel schedules will be severely affected during the weekend and SNCF has asked all travelers to postpone their trips, KosovaPress reports.

Travel on the Eurostar has also been affected as journeys between London and Paris are being diverted, with some trains canceled and journey times increasing to over an hour.

French sports minister Amelie Oudea-Castera has spoken out about the vandalism, saying: "It's absolutely appalling. To target the psyche of the games is to target France. It will ruin this day and maybe even this weekend."