Travel delays expected as train drivers strike

If you have a trip scheduled to or within France on Thursday, expect some delays.

Once again it could prove a bit of problem, especially if you're planning to take the train.

You've guessed it. SNCF (Société Nationale des Chemins de fer Français - the French national railway company) will be running a reduced service because - surprise, surprise - train drivers are taking a day of action.

There probably won't be either the misery or chaos of last year when drivers brought the country to a virtual standstill for just over a week as they came out on strike against government plans to reform pensions.

The high speed TGV will be largely spared, except those serving the south east and west of the country, and international services should be running at more or less full capacity with just a handful of cancellations according to SNCF.

Thalys - Paris to Brussels,
Eurostar - Paris to London
and all international services
should be running as scheduled

But the latest action promises to make getting to and from work something of a struggle, with suburban services in and around the country's main cities being the hardest hit. And SNCF has already warned passengers to expect a severely reduced schedule on certain lines.

At the heart of the dispute is an attempt by the company to re-negotiate working conditions with some drivers.

Rail freight has been open up to competition in France since 2006, and management maintains that to make its service profitable, it needs to agree new contracts with drivers. That would entail them taking shorter breaks between shifts or accepting to drive longer journeys for example, but not doing away with the 35-hour working week.

At the moment, regulations stipulate that freight train drivers have to stop after a certain number of kilometres regardless of whether they've actually reached their destination. Management says that leads to inevitable delays in delivering on time.

SNCF confirmed that it had already found 800 "volunteers" among the 2,200 freight drivers willing to sign new terms of employment.

But unions claim such changes would signal a deterioration in working conditions, and present a risk to drivers' security. Furthermore they accuse the management of trying to "blackmail" drivers into accepting new contracts of employment.

Attempts between the two sides to reach an agreement broke down in spring this year and resulted in drivers taking action for two days in June.

While disruption is expected on Thursday, not all drivers' unions will be on strike this time around. That goes some way to explaining SNCF's assurances how some lines - and in particular those to international destinations - will be running a near 100 percent service.

But once again for the humble commuter, and especially those trying to get in and out of the nation's capital where only 50 per cent of trains will be running, Thursday could well be a day better spent at home.


For more details on which services will be disrupted or where to 'phone for more information (within France) click here.