I always hate being the bear of bad news, however the papers are confirming that ALL of the SNCF rail unions (RER), 3 of the 8 RATP (Metro) unions and Air France will be having a one day strike this Thursday.
For those unfamiliar - this means that services will begin to shut down Wednesday night at 8pm and continue most likely beyond Thursday into Friday. Well - to be honest the weekend too.
(FYI - posted in transportation too)
Does this cover CDG and the TGV too? I'm arriving Saturday early AM at CDG1 and will need to transfer to CDG2 to catch the 11:42 am TGV to Avignon. Any help would be appreciated!
At this time the strike is only scheduled for Thursday. Most likely, systems will be running Friday and the weekend but perhaps a bit slower than usual.
For TGV, Thalys etc check their websites or call for any cancellations.
Eurostar is reporting the following:
Between 20.00 CET on 21 May to 08.00 CET on 23 May 2008 there will be industrial action by general workers in France. Eurostar services between UK and France are expected to operate normally. However, it is likely to be severe disruption to Eurostar travellers with TGV connections to destinations in France. Also, other onward transport options in France – including the Metro/Underground and bus services – are also likely to be severely disrupted.
If Eurostar travellers with onward connections are able to change their travel plans they can exchange their tickets for alternative dates or obtain refunds by contacting their original point of sale. For more information visit Eurostar.com or contact the Ashford Contact Centre on 08705 186 186 from the UK or on 02/400.67.76 from Belgium.
http://www.eurostar.com/UK/uk/leisure/customer_care/questions_answers.jsp
Damn, I have a three day trip to Munich planned and my train is supposed to leave at 9:45pm. Does anyone know if they will exchange your ticket in the event of a strike, even if the ticket says no exchanges?
Typically yes = but you should contact directly regarding terms.
Update information on the web...
For Eurostar updates:
http://www.eurostar.com/UK/uk/leisure/customer_care/questions_answers.jsp
For TGV: http://www.tgv.com/EN/index_HD.html
Go to Info then Traffic
For Metro:
http://www.ratp.fr/
Click "Trafic" (this will only be in French)
SNCF (RER and Transilien)
www.sncf.fr
Select English (via British Flag)
Menu "Enquiries - Select "Info Lignes"
Thanks for all the great info, Jona. It's wonderful to have a contact in Paris to keep us up to date on everything!
I'm having trouble with the TGV Website. After I click Info then Traffic, everything is in French and I don't see a translation option. I apologize in advance, but I only know what I call "tourist French" re food, bathrooms, and pleasantries.
Thanks again for all your help.
