No trains in five French regions and airport closes in Brest

Trains in five regions are to stop running as storm Ciaran hits western and northern France with violent winds, rain and flooding forecast from Wednesday night.

TER local trains will not operate in Brittany, Pays de la Loire, Normandy, Centre-Val de Loire and Hauts-de-France on Thursday.

TGV services from Paris to Rennes and Paris to Lille will continue, however the SNCF says they will not stop at stations off the high-speed line.

Similarly, TGVs services to Le Mans will operate from 14:00 on Thursday, weather permitting, says the SNCF, but will not stop at Nantes and La Rochelle.

Rail transport outside of the affected areas will operate as normal.

The SNCF says that it hopes all services will resume on Friday.

Brest-Bretagne airport closed

The bad weather has also forced Brest-Bretagne airport to close on Thursday, with many flights cancelled.

“The weather conditions prevent us from ensuring the optimal level of safety for passengers, personnel and equipment,” the airport said in a press release.

Affected passengers should visit the airport’s website for up-to-date information about cancelled flights, and contact their airlines for more information.

Read more: Ferries, trains: what is known about violent storm set to hit France

‘One of the worst storms for 40 years’

Météo France has issued a severe weather warning due to the violent winds forecast on Thursday morning, with Finistère, Côtes-d’Armor and Manche on maximum alert.

It says the storm will be one of the worst for the past 40 years.

“If we take into account the wind speed and the regions affected, storm Ciaran will be among the 40 major storms since 1980, even if it does not reach the level of historic storms like Lothar and Martin,” Météo France said in a press release.

Read more: Warning to stay home as red storm alerts raised in France