How the heatwave could impact rail travel in France
Pack an extra water bottle if travelling by train these next few weeks, as hot temperatures could lead to more breakdowns on the railways.
With a heatwave on the radar for France this week and next, train travel could also be disrupted.
The good news is that you have a very high chance of being comfortable in an air-conditioned train. All TGV and Intercité trains are air-conditioned, and so are the vast majority of TER trains (96 percent), according to the SNCF spokesman quoted in French daily Le Parisien.
The bad news is that the combination of a heatwave with higher than average traffic could spell breakdowns on the tracks.
A few things can go wrong for trains when it gets too hot: the rails can expand if their temperature exceeds 45C (which can be reached once the air temperature is at 35C) and the overhead wire (line), which must be perfectly straight to function, can slacken, leading to the possibility that the cables might touch the roof of the train, creating a shock current.
In order to avoid these scenarios, trains might be slowed down or halted on the tracks. This means that passengers should anticipate the possibility of the dreaded announcement "le train est arrêté sur la voie" (the train has stopped on the track).
Unfortunately, there are also occasions where the train might lose air conditioning if it breaks down. Therefore it is worth being prepared for the possibility - both for human and animal passengers, should you be travelling with a pet. If you have a smartphone, you can download the SNCF application on your phone (in English) to see updates as they come.
In 2021, after a Bordeaux-Marseille Intercité train broke down, losing its air conditioning, a two-year-old Pomeranian named Poopie lost its life in the heat.
If you find yourself in this unfortunate situation, SNCF staff will offer bottles of water, but you'll also want to some helpful vocabulary:
Cancelled - Annulé
Stopped - Arrêté
Air-Conditioned - Climatisé
Overhead wire - La caténaire
How long will we be stuck? - Combien de temps allons-nous être bloqués ?
I feel weak. - Je me sens faible.
Breakdown on the tracks - Panne sur les voies
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With a heatwave on the radar for France this week and next, train travel could also be disrupted.
The good news is that you have a very high chance of being comfortable in an air-conditioned train. All TGV and Intercité trains are air-conditioned, and so are the vast majority of TER trains (96 percent), according to the SNCF spokesman quoted in French daily Le Parisien.
The bad news is that the combination of a heatwave with higher than average traffic could spell breakdowns on the tracks.
A few things can go wrong for trains when it gets too hot: the rails can expand if their temperature exceeds 45C (which can be reached once the air temperature is at 35C) and the overhead wire (line), which must be perfectly straight to function, can slacken, leading to the possibility that the cables might touch the roof of the train, creating a shock current.
In order to avoid these scenarios, trains might be slowed down or halted on the tracks. This means that passengers should anticipate the possibility of the dreaded announcement "le train est arrêté sur la voie" (the train has stopped on the track).
Unfortunately, there are also occasions where the train might lose air conditioning if it breaks down. Therefore it is worth being prepared for the possibility - both for human and animal passengers, should you be travelling with a pet. If you have a smartphone, you can download the SNCF application on your phone (in English) to see updates as they come.
In 2021, after a Bordeaux-Marseille Intercité train broke down, losing its air conditioning, a two-year-old Pomeranian named Poopie lost its life in the heat.
If you find yourself in this unfortunate situation, SNCF staff will offer bottles of water, but you'll also want to some helpful vocabulary:
Cancelled - Annulé
Stopped - Arrêté
Air-Conditioned - Climatisé
Overhead wire - La caténaire
How long will we be stuck? - Combien de temps allons-nous être bloqués ?
I feel weak. - Je me sens faible.
Breakdown on the tracks - Panne sur les voies
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