TGVs, local trains: What is expected impact of French rail strikes this week?

A series of strike movements on France’s rail network that launch today (May 5) are set to be less severe than expected. 

Rail users can breathe a sigh of relief at the news, particularly those planning to travel on or before the Thursday May 8 public holiday and ‘faire le pont’ for a long weekend. 

The majority of TGVs (high-speed national rail services) will not be impacted, at least at the start of the week.

“It will be far from a black week [editor’s note: ‘semaine noire’, an expression in French used for a particularly busy or difficult period, often in association with intense strike action or traffic), “ CEO of SNCF Voyageurs Christophe Fanichet told news agency AFP on Sunday (May 4).

“Traffic will be normal on TGV trains between Monday May 5 and Thursday May 8,” he added. 

There may be some impact between May 9 and 11, when ticker inspectors launch a wider strike, including on the national network.

“If we have to cancel certain trains, we aim to offer every customer the opportunity to travel to their destination on the scheduled day,” Mr Fanichet said. 

Travellers who have a journey scheduled over the long weekend will be informed of any disruption by the end of Wednesday (May 7), the SNCF said, in a bid to assure passengers.

All tickets for travel on high-speed TGV services (InOui or OuiGo) between May 5 and May 11 are refundable or exchangeable, provided the request is made before the original train’s departure time. 

Read more: What to expect from this week’s train strike in France

Regional rail lines affected 

Despite the minimal impact to major cross-country routes, strike action will be more disruptive at regional TER level. 

Certain regions including Brittany, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, and the Grand-Est are reporting no disruptions today (May 5). 

However, others including Nouvelle-Aquitaine, Normandy, Provence-Alpes-Côte-d’Azur and Occitanie have notified passengers to expect delays or cancellations.

In the capital Île-de-France region, several local commuter services are disrupted, as are the RER B, C, and E lines that run through central Paris into the surrounding suburbs. 

Public transport services such as those in Paris (run by the RATP) or Lyon are not affected, nor are Eurostar services between London and Paris. 

One knock-on effect of the strike is a surge in coach bookings, particularly in the north of France, as families look to ensure they reach planned holiday destinations. 

Bookings are already up to 30% busier than usual for the time of year for rideshare app BlaBlaCar (which also offers coaches between major cities), and may even triple if several services are cancelled.

How to keep up with information on strike impact

This information is set to change daily, and regions not affected today may be impacted throughout the week.

Rail workers need to make clear their intent to strike before any day of action so local rail authorities know in advance which services will be affected. 

During a period of strike action, local and national timetables are updated at 17:00 by the SNCF showing the impact on the following day’s travel.

The current strikes were called by leading rail unions over a plethora of issues including pay and pensions, working and overtime conditions, and retirement agreements.

If you are travelling on the network, check your service in the evening before travelling, through the SNCF Connect app or website, or a regional timetable variant. 

Those travelling on certain high-speed services with specific seat reservations (unlike local services where trains do not have numbered seats) will also be informed of disruption to their train via text or email. 

You can also keep track of strike action by following regional SNCF pages on social media, the links of which can be found on this article by French media outlet FranceInfo.