Strike continues to hit 2 in 3 TGVs to west France
High-speed trains serving the west of France from Paris remain disrupted today (Tuesday October 29), with just one in three TGVs running due to continued strikes by train staff.
Train company SNCF confirmed that 34% of TGV Atlantique services would be running today, with a “slight improvement” on trains to and from Bordeaux and Nantes, after a low of 30% on the same lines yesterday.
Passengers are advised to postpone their journeys if possible, and to check if their service is running before attempting to travel. Those whose services were cancelled should be able to get a free refund.
In a statement, TGV Atlantique said: “80,000 clients were supposed to travel on TGV Atlantique today, and we could only take 35,000. Most of the clients who were not able to travel have been contacted by email or text, and will have their tickets refunded without fees.
The strike involves 200 maintenance specialists based in the Paris area, from the Technicentre de Châtillon (Hauts-de-Seine), who are disputing their working conditions.
They have been demanding better conditions, a bonus, and payment for the strike days, and said that holding this “unscheduled strike” was the “only way to make ourselves heard”.
The strike was initially scheduled to end yesterday, but appears to be continuing today for an uncertain amount of time, SNCF said.
Gwendoline Cazenave, director of TGV Atlantique, said: “All of the demands by the staff that have been on strike since last Monday have been accepted, but today we are in a situation where the staff are demanding that we pay them for the strike days, which is not possible. Talks are continuing.”
