Train Travel

It looks like all over France. I asked a question recently about whether the current strikes are affecting rail service between Basel and Colmar. I was told yes.

If you travel in France and plan to use the trains you will be affected by strikes sooner or later...it's just life in France.

Does anyone know when the strikes are supposed to end? We have friends who plan on traveling by train from Paris to Avignon in late April. Are train tickets being sold while the strikes are going on?
Thank you!

Please don’t let the sensationalism of the media put you off your trip to France. I agree with Tim. Strikes are a way of life in France. You’ll run into them sooner or later and are part of the French experience. They aren’t complete shut downs like they are in the US but rather rolling disruptions that are inconveniences. The French shrug them off as “C’est la vie” and go on with life.

Perhaps Paris is feeling the inconvenience more so with their all ready crowded metro service being reduced as a result of the strikes. I’m in Nice, France right now and can speak to the current situation here. Yesterday, Sunday, all the trains were running on time. You would never know a strike was happening on either local or long distance “grande lignes”. The day before was a major protest day. A few of the local trains (maybe 20%) were cancelled inconveniencing people 20-30minutes to catch the next one; slight delays on the long distance ones but no cancellations. The airports also striked on Saturday which we were concerned about as that was the day we flew in. Here in Nice, one of the runways was closed as a result. It just meant our flight from Amsterdam was held up 20 minutes before departure as they shuffled flight schedules a bit. Overall we got in 15 minutes late. Inconvenient but not devastating. Speaking with our Airbnb host, she too shrugged and agreed strikes maybe a bother but nothing to worry over. Join in a yellow vest march. I did last year in both Nice (exceptional civilized and low key) as well as Paris (a bit more lively but tame) when I happened upon them accidentally. It wasn’t exactly as crazy and radical as portrayed in the news state side. A little civil disobedience is part of the culture. Embrace it. Over the years, I’ve been here many times when various strike action occurred. Never once have I regretted the decision to come. I hope you don’t let it dissuade you. Think of the tales you can tell when a strike puts your fine tuned plans amiss and serendipity gives your a bit of spontaneity. Best wishes.

Long-distance trains are practically back to normal. As of last week, 90% of trains on the Paris-Bordeaux route were running.

Local trains are more affected, so Paris to Vernon (for Giverny) is probably only running a few of its normal trains.

The bigger problem right now is the continued local transport strikes in Paris. For example Sunday night my train from Lille back to Paris was just fine — then I had to walk home from the station (an hour and a half walk) because there was no metro service and the buses were full to bursting.

The best guess without a crystal ball is based on a Sunday NY Times article: the government has given a concession but will review it after a financial report is ready in April. So it’s cooling off but could blow up again—which means nothing when Kim has a 1.5 hour walk.