Rail strike chaos from this evening
Up to half of services on some routes will be cancelled in a national strike expected to last until the end of Tuesday
RAIL passengers across the country will be hit by cancellations and crowded trains from this evening as the SNCF walks out on its first national strike in more than a year.
The industrial action, which is expected to run until the end of service on Tuesday, will affect travellers on TGV, Corail, regional TER services and the RER network in Paris. Eurostar and Thalys are not affected.
SNCF employees are walking out in protest at proposed reforms of the national rail operator’s freight operations, which they fear will lead to up to 6,000 job cuts.
The strike is supported by three of the four main SNCF trade unions and is part of a series of industrial action taking place across several sectors this week.
Tuesday will see a strike at the Pôle Emploi (job centres) and France Télécom. Industrial and nuclear energy workers will go on strike on Thursday and hold a demonstration in Paris.
Here is the latest running information from the SNCF:
TGV
Normal service in the east and on Thalys and Eurostar. Half of trains will run on TGV Atlantique, Sud-Est and Province-Province. Two out of three trains will run in the north.
Corail and TER (regional express trains)
Expect one train in every two to be cancelled. There will be no sleeper train services on Monday night.
In Paris
Two out of three services will run on the Transilien network. RER lines A and E will operate a normal service, but the other lines will run at between 50% and 75%.
The www.infolignes.com website has the latest running details for TGV and Corail trains. For local TER services, see www.ter-sncf.com
If you live near a major mainline railway station, you can get see the latest departure and arrival boards, with details of delays, at www.gares-en-mouvement.com
Photo: Sebastian Terfloth/Wikimedia
