The law is adopted but the mobilization continues. Opponents of pension reform are back with a new and 11th day of protest Thursday at the call of the inter-union. Parisian train and transport traffic will be less affected than for previous strikes. Update on planned disruptions.
Three out of four trains at the SNCF
SNCF plans to run 3 out of 4 TGVs as well as 1 out of 2 TER, the public group announced on Tuesday. Traffic will therefore be significantly improved compared to previous days, including in Ile-de-France where traffic will be almost normal on RER B and where 3 out of 4 trains will run on RER A. Only RER D will remain very disrupted with 40% of trains maintained. Lines K and R of the Transilien will see half of the trains running.
Two-thirds of the usual service will be provided on RER C and E and lines H, J, L and U. Finally, lines N and P will be less disrupted with 3 trains out of 4, while the service will be more or less normal for trams T4, T11 and T13.
Intercity traffic will however remain very disrupted with only a quarter of the trains maintained compared to usual and no night trains. International Eurostar connections to England and Thalys to Benelux will be almost normal.
“Almost normal” traffic at RATP
Traffic will be “almost normal” for the metro and RER in Paris, the RATP announced on Tuesday. Only a few metro lines, not specified, will experience slight disruptions. As for trams and buses, traffic will be normal “over the entire network”.
The mobilization is clearly marking time at the RATP while the heads of the eight main trade union organizations are to be received on Wednesday at Matignon by Elisabeth Borne to try to find a way out of the crisis.
Towards a cancellation of 20% of flights
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGAC) is asking airlines to cancel 20% of their flights at several French airports in the regions on Thursday, the administration announced on Tuesday. These preventive cancellations, required almost daily for almost three weeks, will concern 20% of flights to Marseille-Provence, Toulouse, Bordeaux and Nantes, due to the strike by air traffic controllers. The Parisian airport of Orly, which was hitherto also targeted by requests for flight cancellations, is not concerned this time.
Despite these preventive measures, “disturbances and delays are nevertheless to be expected” Thursday, underlines the DGAC in a press release. These measures may concern, in addition to airports, certain en-route air navigation centers (CRNA), which guide aircraft flying over national territory.
Given the geographical position of France, these strikes have cascading effects on all European air traffic. Last week, the main association of European companies from the Old Continent, Airlines for Europe, expressed its exasperation and called on the European Commission to intervene to protect overflights in the event of a strike by French controllers.