The ongoing strike by SNCF controllers continues to impact travel this Saturday, affecting approximately 150,000 travelers as only one in two TGVs are in circulation. This weekend marks the first returns from zone C and departures from zone A.
Since Thursday 8 p.m., train traffic has been severely disrupted and this is expected to continue until Monday 8 a.m. Approximately 850,000 French people are finally able to go on vacation, however, 150,000 French people are unable to leave due to the strike, according to Christophe Fanichet, the CEO of SNCF Voyageurs.
The forecast for Friday, Saturday and Sunday includes TGV INOUI and Ouigo at 1 out of 2, normal traffic for Ouigo Classic Train, and disrupted traffic for Europe. INTERCITÉS day and night are also at 1 out of 2.
— SNCF Voyageurs (@SNCFVoyageurs) February 14, 2024
Alain Krakovitch, director of TGV Intercités, explained on franceinfo this Saturday morning that despite three crew chiefs out of four striking, they were able to keep one train out of two running.
No chaos at stations
Despite the strike, travelers have managed to avoid chaos in the stations by giving up their trip, changing their tickets, or adopting other modes of transport.
The service is reduced by half on the TGV Inoui and Ouigo lines, as well as for the Intercités. The company assures that all affected customers have been notified by email or SMS.
Priority was given to connections to the Alps, where trains were full in both directions. However, certain lines like Paris Bordeaux are more affected with two thirds of trains canceled. More trains are expected on the Atlantic axis from Sunday.
More congested roads
With the ongoing strike, the roads connecting ski resorts are expected to be particularly congested. Traffic on the A6 motorway in the return direction is also expected to be heavy. These disruptions could potentially exacerbate the traffic difficulties expected this weekend on the entire road network.
The BlaBlaCar platform has observed a doubling of the demand for reservations for carpooling and buses since the announcement of the SNCF transport plan on Wednesday.
