French rail strike

[Citybreak1]

I am due to travel to Paris on 7th says a French rail strike does this mean I can’t travel around Paris is the metros running as per normal? My Eurostar still says it’s running but a few have been cancelled

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 4 Feb 2023 ==

Looks like I have to change my Brussels booking and go there instead as it could mean last min cancellations and the transport in and around Paris May be no good on a strike day. Sadly it costs alot to change it.

 

[30907]

This (in English) gives some idea:
https://www.sortiraparis.com/en/new...a-quoi-faut-il-s-attendre-dans-les-transports
The demos themselves might affect above-ground travel too!

 

[TravellingPhil]

I’m also booked on a Eurostar to Paris on Tuesday, then onto Barcelona on SNCF on Wednesday. Some unions are calling for SNCF to strike on Wednesday as well.

Our Eurostar is running on Tuesday at the time of typing this…so we’ve decided to go for it and see what happens with SNCF and our Barcelona train on Wednesday.

As with getting from Gare du Nord to our hotel on Tuesday , that might be difficult.

I suspect I may have to organise an extra night in Paris and continue on wherever seats are available on Thursday. It’s a tricky one.

 

[Citybreak1]

So sounds like a good idea to change. I was only booked for a day visit so I have to relay on transport.

 

[TravellingPhil]

Just an update. Confirmed this evening that my Barcelona TGV on Wednesday is only going as far as Montpellier.

SNCF offered me a free exchange so managed to bag seats on the Thursday morning departure.

Glad I was on it so quick, looks like the train of my new booking is almost sold out just a couple of hours after the cancellation was made public. Phew!

 

[Citybreak1]

Just an update. Confirmed this evening that my Barcelona TGV on Wednesday is only going as far as Montpellier.

SNCF offered me a free exchange so managed to bag seats on the Thursday morning departure.

Glad I was on it so quick, looks like the train of my new booking is almost sold out just a couple of hours after the cancellation was made public. Phew!

Sorry to hear.

I had a booking to Brussels for April. Changed that for £248 pounds for two tickets cost more than the price of my original ticket. £400 to book a full new booking. I got to change Paris for free but shame Eurostar don’t allow you to change arrival destination.

I delayed my Paris train to October in the hope strikes are over by then.

 

[TravellingPhil]

Sorry to hear that you've had to change plans too. It is frustrating that you can't rebook on a different route.

It's not so bad for us, the unions started mooting these dates a couple of weeks ago so it gave us time to play with options. Research told me that I had to be ready at 4PM British time today so I could be ready to make any necessary changes...and I was spot on. It was then that our train started showing as cancelled so I was able to grab the new seats....and SNCF was offering them for no extra cost from that moment.

It means we get 3 days to explore Barcelona instead of 4...but I'm sure we'll still be able to make the best of it.

And hey... we've got an unexpected day in Paris to plan now. So might as well make the most of it.

 

[Citybreak1]

Enjoy Barcelona I have been once but by plane. I hope to take that trip from Paris eventually. Seemingly the Eiffel Tower was closed on strike day so I made a good choice not to go. The Eurostar terminal was quiet could be due to the strikes or time of year. Belgium was enjoyable though.

 

[bazzarati]

So even with the supposed 'minimum service levels' legislation, strikes affecting trains, in France, are still hugely disruptive?

 

[Watershed]

So even with the supposed 'minimum service levels' legislation, strikes affecting trains, in France, are still hugely disruptive?

Yes, because the minimum service level legislation isn't really enforced in France.

 

[bazzarati]

Yes, because the minimum service level legislation isn't really enforced in France.

I see. I was actually under the impression that railways couldn't strike in France and they just use a form of work to rule instead.

Working to rule in my opinion is even worse for passengers than strikes for the uncertainty and disruption, but if this is the way the UK government wants to go then depending on how heavily they implement the anti-strike bill - future industrial action on the railway is going to be quite interesting.

 

[Peter Mugridge]

Yes, because the minimum service level legislation isn't really enforced in France.

When I've been over and unfortunately found a day of strikes, I've noticed - at least in Paris - that it tends to be a near total shut down off peak with the bulk of the required minimum service being put on in the peaks; I suspect that the requirement may be for an average of one third of the service rather than a strict one in three must run?

 

[Citybreak1]

Eurostar seemingly only let you change it free one. I moved it to October to assess the situation and then look for hotels to maybe stay over. Sadly no good will gestures have to pay extra. It’s a pity customer services don’t offer more deals as it wasn’t my fault the French had a strike.

 

[Dougal2345]

I see there was another strike yesterday...

I have some travel booked for April - is there a good site to consult for details of future strike dates?

Do the French unions have to give advance notice of strikes, as in the UK, so those of us with bookings can know in advance whether we are safe from disruption? If so, what's the notice period?

 

[hexagon789]

I see there was another strike yesterday...

I have some travel booked for April - is there a good site to consult for details of future strike dates?

Do the French unions have to give advance notice of strikes, as in the UK, so those of us with bookings can know in advance whether we are safe from disruption? If so, what's the notice period?

Ordinarily no notice is required, however, since 2007 if it is a public service (healthcare, railways, public transport etc) then 48 hours notice is required to allow employers time to 'coordinate resources'.

 

[dutchflyer]

This last one seemed to be mostly against raising the pension-age, from 62 to 64 and it was not just railwayworkers, but about anyone working for govmt. News on radio told us that it was to be decided by the jolly infuriated workers day by day of they would continue the next day-or not-or partly.

 

[geoffk]

This last one seemed to be mostly against raising the pension-age, from 62 to 64

And ours will be 67 in a few years time. Are any strikes planned?

 

[30907]

With an indefinite "rolling" strike, as dutchflyer says, the decision is taken day by day so all you can do is check the evening before what services are actually running.
The SNCF and RATP sites do this well - even Googlemaps had an overview.

Remember that there is a minimum service level on strike days.
I am keeping a close eye, as I should be crossing Paris on Monday evening; I don't yet know whether the individual timetables change from day to day....

Update: on the SNCF routes I will be using, they do change!

 

[Dougal2345]

Is the propensity for workers there to strike on weekdays, or do they aim for weekends/public holidays and such? Or is there no discernable pattern?

For example, in the UK Sundays seem to have been pretty safe railstrike-wise...

 

[Gloster]

Having lived in France, although too many years ago and in the east of the country, I would say that the proportion of trains running was somewhere under a half. However, notices would go up a day or two in advance as to which trains were running so potential passengers could make their plans.

But this is France and that is how they do things there. You just learn to live with it.

 

[Flying Snail]

I was there last week, almost got away without any disruption but on the day I was leaving to Italy a local strike was called in the sud-est region where I was passing through.

An amended timetable of running trains wasn't available until near 9pm the night before.