One in five trains cancelled tomorrow

THE SNCF is expecting minimal disruption to trains in a strike that begins at 19.00 tonight and runs until Wednesday morning.

The French rail operator is forecasting that only 20 per cent of local TER services will be cancelled and that all TGVs should run normally.

The CGT trade union has called the walkout to protest about a reform plan for the SNCF which came into force on January 1.

The union teamed up with another, Sud-Rail, to organise a 12-day strike about the restructuring last summer.

The SNCF is looking to cut 10,000 jobs to make the rail operator more competitive and tackle its growing debt.

In the Paris region, there will be minor delays on RER B. Intercité services should be unaffected.

The strike notice expires at 8.00 on Wednesday.