Rail strikes in southern France over ticket office closures

Rail passengers may experience delays or cancellations this weekend, as SNCF employees go on strike in protest at the closure of station ticket offices.

There will be significant disruption in Occitanie today (April 22), as signalmen and station workers take strike action.

Trains arriving in and departing from Toulouse Matabiau Station will be delayed, and passengers are encouraged to travel on a different day if possible.

SNCF has said that the tickets which are still appearing on sale on the website belong to trains which will be running.

Station workers are striking over the fact that 50% of ticket counters have been closed at the site.

SNCF employee and CGT union member Victor Imbault said that the company has “argued that it is digitisation and the explosion of online sales which have led to the closure.

“We are fighting for [our] jobs,” he said.

Rail workers may also be taking strike action in Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur between 01:00 this morning and 01:00 tomorrow, with disruption particularly affecting the area around Marseille.

There will be no trains between Marseille and Aubagne and fewer between Marseille and Nice until Sunday at 11:30, France Bleu reports.

This means that TGVs between Nice and Paris will also be affected.

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