Widespread cancellations as French train conductors strike
Rail bosses hope to keep most of the trains running to the Alps, but elsewhere across France there are widespread cancellations - including on the Eurostar - as a three-day strike of train conductors begins.
Unions representing conductors have called a strike running from Friday, February 16th to Sunday, February 18th in protest over slow progress to implement a previously agreed deal on pay and working conditions.
The weekend was expected to be a busy one on the railways as schools in central and southern France break up for the spring holidays and the peak ski season gets underway in the French Alps.
SNCF has assured customers that "all service to the Alps will be maintained."
Overall, SNCF will cancel half of their TGV (high speed) trains on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. There may be some knock-on disruption to services on Monday.
- InOui trains - 1 in 2 trains to run
- Ouigo (budget) trains - 1 in 2 trains to run
- Intercités services - 1 in 2 trains to run
Traffic will be normal on slower speed 'Ouigo Train Classique' lines. Local TER train services are not expected to be affected by the strike.
Eurostar is also affected - nine trains are cancelled on the three strike days, with changes to the timetable for London-Paris routes. Passengers set to travel this weekend are offered a free alteration of their ticket dates. More information here.
The strike officially ends at 8am on Monday, so some early-morning Monday services may also be affected.
SNCF promised that trains to the Alps will run, this follows a previous promise from Christophe Fanichet, CEO of SNCF Voyageurs, who said on Wednesday that "trains to the snow" - ie services heading to ski resorts - would be prioritised, as well as promising to prioritise the many school trips that use train services to get to ski resorts.
Fanichet also offered the company's "apologies" to other customers "who unfortunately won't be able to go on holiday this weekend".
Eurostar is offering passengers with tickets booked between London and Paris the opportunity to exchange their tickets for free.
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Unions representing conductors have called a strike running from Friday, February 16th to Sunday, February 18th in protest over slow progress to implement a previously agreed deal on pay and working conditions.
The weekend was expected to be a busy one on the railways as schools in central and southern France break up for the spring holidays and the peak ski season gets underway in the French Alps.
SNCF has assured customers that "all service to the Alps will be maintained."
Overall, SNCF will cancel half of their TGV (high speed) trains on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. There may be some knock-on disruption to services on Monday.
- InOui trains - 1 in 2 trains to run
- Ouigo (budget) trains - 1 in 2 trains to run
- Intercités services - 1 in 2 trains to run
Traffic will be normal on slower speed 'Ouigo Train Classique' lines. Local TER train services are not expected to be affected by the strike.
Eurostar is also affected - nine trains are cancelled on the three strike days, with changes to the timetable for London-Paris routes. Passengers set to travel this weekend are offered a free alteration of their ticket dates. More information here.
The strike officially ends at 8am on Monday, so some early-morning Monday services may also be affected.
SNCF promised that trains to the Alps will run, this follows a previous promise from Christophe Fanichet, CEO of SNCF Voyageurs, who said on Wednesday that "trains to the snow" - ie services heading to ski resorts - would be prioritised, as well as promising to prioritise the many school trips that use train services to get to ski resorts.
Fanichet also offered the company's "apologies" to other customers "who unfortunately won't be able to go on holiday this weekend".
Eurostar is offering passengers with tickets booked between London and Paris the opportunity to exchange their tickets for free.
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