France: Delays & disruptions

Engineering works are happening in France. Major disruptions are listed below, You can check the status of a train using SNCF's departure board.

IN THIS ARTICLE

Current disruption

France - Strike from 15 to 19 February 2024

As a result of a labor action by the train conductors*, train traffic will be severely disrupted from Thursday, February 15, 8:00 pm to Monday, February 19, 2024, 8:00 am on several lines operated by SNCF Voyageurs.

You will receive information by e-mail / sms specifying whether your train is maintained or cancelled (for those who have given their contact details). Those whose trains are maintained are guaranteed to travel.

You can decide to cancel or postpone your trip by refunding or exchanging your ticket, free of charge , on our website. 

The carriers concerned are : TGV INOUI, INTERCITÉS, DB-SNCF Voyageurs en coopération, TGV LYRIA, TGV INOUI France Italie, TGV INOUI France-Espagne, TGV INOUI France-Bruxelles, TGV INOUI France-Luxembourg, TGV INOUI France-Fribourg.

France - Ciaran & Domingos storm traffic adjustments

Since last Thursday, storms CIARAN and DOMINGOS have hit the Atlantic coast very hard.

The following restrictions will apply on Monday 6 and Tuesday 7 November 2023. For the trains concerned, the full refund will be offered.

• The INOUI and OUIGO TGVs bound for the north of Brittany will have Saint-Brieuc as their terminus and origin. As no road substitutions are possible, passengers are advised to make their own way to the station or to postpone their journey.

• TGVs to or from the South-West will have their journey time extended by around 30 minutes between Bordeaux-Hendaye and Bordeaux-Tarbes.

If you have to make a connection, we invite you to check the running conditions of their trains. 

Thursday 2 November 2023

Exceptional weather phenomena linked to the passage of storm CIARAN are expected in northwestern France.

Several departements have been placed under vigilance orange by Météo France as of Thursday November 02 0:00.

In order to guarantee the safety of passengers and staff, this event requires to adapt the transport plans.

You will be notified by e-mail and/or SMS of any modification or cancellation of your trip.

Train traffic on several TER regions and some Transilien lines will be completely interrupted on Thursday, November 02.

France - Strike on 26 September 2023

Train traffic will be disrupted (with a limited impact) on the SNCF network on Tuesday 26 September 2023 due to a national industrial action.

Tickets are fully refundable before departure if you are impacted by a cancellation.

France / Italy - Traffic disruptions due to the landslide - Update

• Due to a landslide that occurred on 27 August 2023 in the commune of Saint-André in the Maurienne valley, rail traffic between Saint Michel de Maurienne and Modane has been suspended for an undetermined period. All passengers whose journeys have been cancelled will receive a full refund.
  Rail Europe is making every attempt to notify all impacted travelers, and proactively process full refunds for impacted trains from September 6 th to November 5th.
  
  Below are the notifications from the impacted rail carriers.
  TGV INOUI Italy
  Services have been cancelled until further notice. No alternative road solution is possible, as the motorway and the secondary road are also cut off.
  Trenitalia
  Frecciarossa trains will operate as below.
  
  • Frecciarossa trains 9292, 9281, 9287 and 9296 operating on the route Milan - Modane - Paris will not run until further notice
  • Frecciarossa trains 6647 and 6654 operating on the route Paris - Lyon will not run until 30 September 2023
  • Frecciarossa trains 6651, 6655, 6650 and 6656 operating on the route Paris - Lyon will run as scheduled

  SNCF
  Impacted trains have been cancelled through 5 November 2023, thus far. The railways are working diligently to open services and will provide daily updates. Alternative rail connections between France and Italy can be made via two other routes, via Zurich and via Nice. As these alternative routes are not operated in their entirety by SNCF, it is impossible to automatically reaccommodate impacted travelers.
  A limited number of domestic TGV France-Italy services have been restored between Paris and Chambéry since September 11th 2023, servicing the French domestic part of the journey. Italy remains inaccessible by train from France.
  As the situation develops we shall continue developing the Breaking News in the Help section of our website with any relevant new information, please check it regularly for any further updates.  
  Alternative routes
  We suggest taking an alternative route to Paris. The routes below can be taken in both directions (from Italy to France and from France to Italy).
  Alternative routes are available by train, bus, air, or car-pool.
  BY TRAIN
  Please note that times are given for informational purposes only and are subject to change depending on timetables and connections.

  •          Paris-Milan via Zurich with TGV Lyria: From Zurich, take the EUROCITY TRENITALIA to Milano Centrale (1 connection, about 8 ½ hours’ journey)
  •          Paris-Milan via Strasbourg with TGV INOUI: Take the train from Paris Gare de l’Est to Strasbourg, then the TER from Strasbourg to Bâle, then the INTERCITY TRENITALIA to Milano Centrale (2 connections, about 8 hours’ journey)
  •          Paris-Milan via Bâle with TGV Lyria: Take the train from Paris Gare de Lyon to Bâle, then EUROCITY TRENITALIA to Milano Centrale (1 connection, starting at around 7 hours’ journey)
  •          Paris-Milan via Geneva with TGV Lyria: Take the train from Paris to Geneva, then EUROCITY TRENITALIA to Milano Centrale (1 connection, about 7 ½ hours’ journey)
  •          Paris-Milan via Geneva with TGV Lyria: Take the train from Paris to Geneva, then the IR Geneva-Brigue, then the EUROCITY TRENITALIA to Milano Centrale (2 connections, starting at about 8 ½ hours’ journey)
  •          Paris-Milan via Nice with TGV INOUI/OUIGO: Take the train to Nice, then the TER to Ventimiglia, then INTERCITY TRENITALIA from Ventimiglia to Milano Centrale (2 connections, about 12 hours’ journey)

  BY BUS

  •          Flixbus runs eight daily return journeys, providing service between the Lampugnano bus station in Milan and the Paris-Bercy Seine bus station. Direct journeys take 12 hours, and journeys with a connection take 15 hours. Service varies, depending on the timetable: the bus always stops in Turin (Vittorio Emanuele) and in Lyon (Perrache). However, stops at Chambéry and Oulx are only made at select times.
  • www.flixbus.it
  •          BlaBlaBus runs four daily return journeys, providing service between between the Lampugnano bus station in Milan and the Paris-Bercy Seine bus station, as well as stops in Turin and Lyon (Perrache). The journey takes about 12 hours.
  • www.blablacar.it

SNCF - Strike action from 5 June 6:00 PM and 7 June

SNCF - Trains cancelled on 26 & 27 May 2023

Due a strike, SNCF traffic will be slightly affected on Friday May 26 and Saturday May 27 in the South East of France. 

You can decide to cancel or postpone your trip by refunding or exchanging your ticket, free of charge , on our website, if your train has been cancelled.

France - National strike in France on 20 April 2023

Due to a strike on Thursday 20 April 2023, train traffic may be disrupted on all lines operated by SNCF.

Your train may be affected by cancellation and therefore you’ll be contacted by e-mail and/or SMS from 19 April.

If you receive the SNCF confirmation that your train is cancelled please use the link “Manage your booking” on the bottom right of Rail Europe order confirmation email , BEFORE departure to process the full refund.

The link will lead you to our website on which you can manage refund/exchange in total autonomy without contacting us.

You can decide to cancel or postpone your trip by refunding or exchanging your ticket, free of charge , on our website, BEFORE departure if your train is scheduled between April 19th 6:00PM to April 21st.  

Carriers providing fee waivers :

TGV-INTERCITÉS, DB-SNCF in cooperation, TGV Lyria, TGV France-Italy, TGV France-Spain, TGV France-Brussels, TGV France-Luxembourg and TGV Paris-Fribourg.

A TER regional train ticket remains non exchangeable but refundable only until one day before departure. 

France - National strike in France on 13 April 2023

Due to a strike on Tuesday 13 April 2023, train traffic may be disrupted on all lines operated by SNCF.

Your train may be affected by cancellation and therefore you’ll be contacted by e-mail and/or SMS from Sunday 12 April.

If you receive the SNCF confirmation that your train is cancelled please use the link “Manage your booking” on the bottom right of Rail Europe order confirmation email , BEFORE departure to process the full refund.

The link will lead you to our website on which you can manage refund/exchange in total autonomy without contacting us.

You can decide to cancel or postpone your trip by refunding or exchanging your ticket, free of charge , on our website, BEFORE departure if your train is scheduled between April 12th 6:00PM to April 14th 8:00AM.  

Carriers providing fee waivers :

TGV-INTERCITÉS, DB-SNCF in cooperation, TGV Lyria, TGV France-Italy, TGV France-Spain, TGV France-Brussels, TGV France-Luxembourg and TGV Paris-Fribourg.

A TER regional train ticket remains non exchangeable but refundable only until one day before departure. 

You can check to see if your train is cancelled the day before your scheduled departure at 5:00PM by clicking here.

France - National strike in France from 7 March 2023

Due to a strike starting on Tuesday 7 March 2023, train traffic may be disrupted on all lines operated by SNCF.

Your train may be affected by cancellation and therefore you’ll be contacted by e-mail and/or SMS from Sunday 5 March.

If you receive the SNCF confirmation that your train is cancelled please use the link “Manage your booking” on the bottom right of Rail Europe order confirmation email , BEFORE departure to process the full refund.

The link will lead you to our website on which you can manage refund/exchange in total autonomy without contacting us.

You can decide to cancel or postpone your trip by refunding or exchanging your ticket, free of charge , on our website, BEFORE departure from March 1st to April 6th if your train is scheduled between March 6th 6:00PM to April 6th 8:00AM.  

Carriers providing fee waivers :

TGV-INTERCITÉS, DB-SNCF in cooperation, TGV Lyria, TGV France-Italy, TGV France-Spain, TGV France-Brussels, TGV France-Luxembourg and TGV Paris-Fribourg.

A TER regional train ticket remains non exchangeable but refundable only until one day before departure. 

You can check to see if your train is cancelled the day before your scheduled departure at 5:00PM by clicking here.

SNCF - National strike in France on 16 February 2023

As part of an inter-professional industrial action, on  Thursday 16 February 2023, train traffic will be disrupted on all lines operated by SNCF Voyageurs.

You are eligible to a full refund if you cancel your ticket  before the departure of the train.

Your clients can check if their train will be affected from 6:00PM the day before departure here.

TGV INOUI: 4 trains out of 5 on average

         TGV INOUI North: almost normal

         TGV INOUI East: almost normal

         TGV INOUI South East: more than 2 trains out of 3 

         TGV INOUI Atlantique: almost normal

    REGIONAL TER TRAFFIC: heavily disrupted

         TER: 1 train out of 2 on average

France - National strike in France on 11 and 16 February 2023

We are aware of planned strike action across France on Friday 11 and Thursday 16 February.

We do not know yet the impact of the upcoming strike on the different timetables but the traffic will be very disrupted.

Be sure that we will keep you informed as soon as more information becomes available. 

SNCF - National strike in France on 7 and 8 February 2023

As part of a national cross-industry industrial action on Tuesday 7 February and a national industrial action on Wednesday 8 February 2023, train traffic may be disrupted on all lines operated by SNCF Voyageurs.

You are eligible to a full refund if you cancel your ticket  before the departure of the train.

SNCF - National strike in France planned on January 31 2023

A strike action across France is planned on  Tuesday 31 January.

The traffic will be severely disrupted from Monday January 30th from 7:00 p.m. to Wednesday February 1st at 6:00 a.m.

You can check if your train will be affected from 5:00PM the day before departure here.

You can refund or exchange your ticket, free of charge, on our website before initial departure time.

TGV INOUI AND OUIGO TRAFFIC : Severely disrupted
TGV INOUI and OUIGO : 1 train out of 3 on average
 

       TGV INOUI North: 2 trains out of 5

       TGV INOUI East : 1 train out of 2 

       TGV INOUI South East : 1 train out of 2 

       TGV INOUI Atlantique : 1 train out of 4

       OUIGO : 2 trains out of 5 

       TGV province to province : 1 train out of 3  

  REGIONAL TER TRAFFIC : Very heavily disrupted
 

       TER : 2 trains out of 10 on average

TER traffic will be heavily disrupted in all regions. 


INTERCITÉS TRAFFIC : Very heavily disrupted 
 

       INTERCITÉS day trains : no traffic, except for a Paris-Clermont, Paris-Limoges-Toulouse and Bordeaux-Marseille round trip

       INTERCITIES night trains : no traffic on Monday-Tuesday and Tuesday-Wednesday nights

SNCF - Traffic interrupted from/to Paris Gare de l'Est

TGV, OUIGO and TER Grand Est traffic is completely interrupted on departure and arrival from Paris Est for the whole day (January 24th) due to a problem on tracks.

We apologize for the inconvenience caused.

SNCF - National strike in France on 19 January 2023 

Within the framework of a social movement action, train traffic will be severely disrupted on Thursday, January 19, 2023 on all lines operated by SNCF Voyageurs (strike notice from Wednesday, January 18 at 7:00 pm to Friday, January 20 at 8:00 am).

SNCF Voyageurs recommends to cancel or postpone your planned daytime travel.

You can check if your train will be affected from 5:00PM the day before departure here.

You can exchange or refund his/her ticket, free of charge, on our website before initial departure time or at the station.

TRAFFIC

       TGV INOUI Nord : 1 train out of 3

       TGV INOUI Est : 1 train out of 4

       TGV INOUI Atlantique : 1 train out of 3

       TGV INOUI Sud-Est : 1 train out of 3

       OUIGO : 1 train out of 3

       INTERCITÉS daytime: no traffic, except for one Paris-Clermont return trip

       I NTERCITES night trains: no traffic on Wednesday-Thursday and Thursday-Friday nights

       TER : 1 train out of 10 on average

SNCF- Social movement from December 23rd to 25th

Due to a strike by train managers from Thursday 22 December at 8pm to Monday 26 December at 8am, train traffic will be disrupted on certain lines operated by SNCF Voyageurs.

The TGV and INTERCITES customers concerned will receive information by email or text message if their train is cancelled. 

After sales:

Tickets fully refundable and exchangeable before and after departure, from 22 to 26 December.

To date, the TGV INOUI and OUIGO traffic forecasts are as follows:

On average, 2 out of 3 TGVs will run on Friday 23rd. The situation should be similar on Saturday 24 and Sunday 25, or even slightly worse.

In detail: 
TGV East: 3 TGV out of 4 will run
TGV Nord: 1 TGV out of 2 will run (almost normal traffic on Paris - Lille)
TGV Sud-Est / Méditerranée: 2 TGV out of 3 will run
TGV Atlantique: 2 TGV out of 3 will run
OUIGO : 3 OUIGO out of 4 on average will run
TGV Province - Province : 1 TGV out of 2 will run
Eurostar / Thalys : almost normal, except on Monday 26 December on Eurostar (no traffic due to a strike by the English RMT union)
TGV Lyria : 3 TGV out of 4 will run
TGV France Germany / DB & SNCF in cooperation: normal traffic
TGV INOUI France Spain: 1 TGV in 2 on average will run

INTERCITES
INTERCITES by day: normal traffic on Friday, 3 trains out of 4 on average on Saturday and Sunday.
INTERCITES night trains: no traffic on the night of 24 to 25 December.
However, night trains to Nice - Briançon will run normally (Friday night to Saturday and Sunday to Monday). Towards the South West, no traffic on the night of Friday to Saturday. Normal traffic on the night of Sunday 25 to Monday 26.
 
TER Some regions are likely to experience some disruption.

SNCF- National strike in France from 01 to 05 December 2022 

Following a strike by the trains managers, train traffic will be severely disrupted, mainly on long-distance trains, with 4 TGV / INTERCITES trains out of 10, from Friday, December 2 to Monday, December 5, 2022.

If you have booked your ticket you will receive information by email or text message on this day specifying whether your train is maintained or cancelled. 

You, whether their train is maintained or cancelled and whatever the TGV INOUI, OUIGO or INTERCITES ticket, will benefit from:

       A refund of 100% of the ticket price for journeys scheduled between Friday 2 December and Monday 5 December inclusive by contacting Rail Europe through the usual channel for exceptional requests;

       Or an exchange free of charge on all trains where there are still seats available until Thursday 8 December inclusive.

SNCF Voyageurs recommends to check the train timetable before going to the station and, when possible, postpone your journeys.

TGV INOUI AND OUIGO TRAFFIC FROM DECEMBER 2 TO 5

       TGV Nord: 1 train out of 2

       TGV Est : 1 train out of 3

       TGV Atlantique : 1 train out of 4

       TGV Sud-Est : 1 train out of 3

       OUIGO : 1 train out of 4 

INTERNATIONAL TRAFFIC 

       Eurostar : Normal

       Thalys : Normal

       TGV Lyria (France-Switzerland connection): 1 train out of 3

       France-Italy connection: 1 train out of 3

       France - Germany route: 1 train out of 2

       France - Spain route: no traffic 

INTERCITY TRAFFIC

INTERCITES daytime: 1 train out of 2

INTERCITES by night: no traffic

2. FRANCE- National strike on October 18th 

Following a national industrial action, the trains will be disrupted from Monday 17 October at 8pm to Wednesday 19 October at 8am.

3. FRANCE - National strike on September 29th 

4. SNCF - France national rail strike on July 6th.

Due to a national strike across the French railway network, the SNCF will be running a reduced timetable on July 6th.

Please check here if your train is running or cancelled.

After sales:

If your train has been cancelled you will be able to:

- Use your ticket to travel on another train but no seat is guaranteed.
- Exchange your booking for free for travel at a different time/date in the same travel class.
- Cancel your booking and claim a refund of your ticket by contacting Rail Europe through the usual channel for exceptional requests.

If your train is scheduled to run, you will be able before departure only to:

- Cancel your booking and claim a refund of your ticket by contacting Rail Europe through the usual channel for exceptional requests.

Please note that if your train is cancelled you will be informed by email or text message on your phone.

5. Thalys - Reduction of the tranport plan from June 14th to 24th.

Due to an equipment availability problem, they are forced to reduce their transport plan from the 14th until the 24th of June 2022.

The following trains are cancelled:

14/06

• 9311 PAR - BRU
• 9439 PAR - BRU
• 9422 BRU - PAR
• 9470 BRU - PAR

15/06

• 9410 between BRU - PAR
• 9427 between PAR - BRU
• 9440 between BRU - PAR
• 9459 PAR - DOR
• 9397 BRU - AMS
• 9334 AMS - BRU
• 9333 BRU - AMS
• 9376 AMS - PAR

16/06

• 9415 between PAR - AMS
• 9452 between AMS - PAR
• 9469 between PAR - BRU
• 9424 DOR - PAR

17/06

• IZY 9600 BRU - PAR
• IZY 9603 PAR - BRU
• IZY 9606 BRU - PAR
• IZY 9615 PAR - BRU
• 9328 AMS - AR
• 9451 between PAR - BRU
• 9458 between BRU - PAR
• 9475 between PAR - BRU

18/06

• 9427 between PAR - BRU
• IZY 9602 BRU - PAR
• IZY 9605 PAR - BRU

19/06

• 9458 between BRU - PAR
• 9475 between PAR - BRU
• IZY 9602 BRU - PAR
• IZY 9605 PAR - BRU
• IZY 9606 BRU - PAR
• IZY 9615 PAR - BRU

20/06

• IZY 9600 BRU - PAR
• IZY 9603 PAR - BRU
• 9397 BRU - AMS
• 9334 AMS - BRU
• 9357 BRU - AMS
• 9394 AMS - BRU

21/06

• 9410 between BRU - PAR
• 9427 between PAR - BRU
• 9440 between BRU - PAR
• 9459 PAR - DOR
• 9397 BRU - AMS
• 9334 AMS - BRU
• 9333 BRU - AMS
• 9376 AMS - PAR

22/06

• 9415 between PAR - AMS
• 9452 between AMS - PAR
• 9469 between PAR - BRU
• 9424 DOR - PAR
• 9389 PAR - BRU

23/06

• 9410 between BRU - PAR
• 9427 between PAR - BRU
• 9440 between BRU - PAR
• 9459 PAR - DOR
• 9308 BRU - PAR
• 9423 PAR - ESS
• 9472 ESS - PAR

24/06

• 9424 DOR - BRU and becomes BRU - PAR

6. Thalys - Engineering works in France and Netherlands.

We would like to draw your attention to the presence of numerous works which may impact the availability of some trains.

Here is the list (it would be updated if necessary):

• 8-9 October : Schiphol station not served
• 7-8-9 October : MLV service preventively closed
• 14-1-16 October : MLV service preventively closed
• 23 October : Schiphol and Amsterdam stations closed as a precautionary measure
• 21-22-23 October : MLV service preventively closed
• 29-30 October : No trains open / awaiting reply on works
• 28-29-30 October : MLV service preventively closed
• 05-06 November : No trains open / awaiting reply on works
• 4-5-6 November : MLV service preventively closed
• 10-11-12-13 November : Transport plan will be very reduced / No trains open
• 18-19-20 November : MLV service preventively closed
• 03-04 December : No trains open / awaiting reply on works
• 2-3-4 December : MLV service preventively closed

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us.

7. Lyria - Engineering works in France and Switzerland.

Due to engineering works on the line in France and Switzerland, travel will be disrupted on TGV Lyria in the first half of 2022, particularly between Basel and Zurich. 

Trains between Paris and Zurich will terminate in Basel (in both directions):

• • From 18 February to 6 March
  • the weekends of 19-20 March, 26-27 March, 2-3 April and 9-10 April
  • From 19 April to 1 May
  • From 26 May to 24 July

The Basel<>Zurich connection will be provided by an SBB train service, which can be booked alongside your TGV Lyria ticket. 

Please check here the complete calendar.

8. Atlantic High Speed Line: modifications scheduled from January to July 2022.

What to do if you experience a delay

Please speak to staff on the train or at the station if you are delayed. They will have the most up to date information and can tell you what to do. Also, ask the staff to stamp your ticket with proof of delay. This will make it easier for you to travel on later trains.

Keep all of your tickets until you return home. They can be used to submit a claim to the rail operator if you incur any unavoidable additional costs (new tickets, taxis).

For more information, please see our Help article: What happens if I miss my connection.