On this Sunday morning, the Marseille Saint-Charles station is not experiencing its usual hustle and bustle. There are travelers with suitcases in hand, but only a few dozen. And for good reason, the Paris-Marseille TGV line is partially closed this weekend due to gigantic work on the South-East high-speed line (LGV).
Consequence: only 30% of the usual supply circulates on this axis from Saturday November 9 to Tuesday November 12. All destinations from Paris to Occitanie (Montpellier) and Paca (Marseille, Aix, Avignon, Toulon, Nice) are affected. Only eight trains ran this Saturday 9 between Marseille and the capital, compared to 25 next weekend. And the worst part remains the journey time: via the bis line, it is multiplied by two. Paris-Marseille is therefore done in 7 hours 20 minutes instead of 3 hours.
And yet, despite the length of this journey, this does not seem to have discouraged the travelers. “The 1is train of the day this Saturday towards Paris was completely full, there were even people who came to the station in advance to reserve seats but there were none available“, explains an SNCF agent at Saint-Charles station.
“The adventure, the hassle above all!”
Eva, a native of Marseillaise who went to Paris for her work, will be one of those motivated people this Monday who are not deterred by the length of the trip. “It will be an adventure, especially a hassle! To keep up, I'm planning series, a book and crosswords“, she laughs. A ticket which still cost him the modest sum of 93 euros. “With this extended journey, I at least expected it to be cheaper“, she believes.
But despite this enthusiasm for the few trains of the day leaving for the capital, the Marseille station appears very empty during this long weekend. A perception confirmed by the staff of one of the Relay points at Saint-Charles station: “There are a lot fewer people than on a usual Sunday. Normally, people queue at our house for coffee. There is almost no one there, this will inevitably impact our turnover.“
Especially since the construction site falls on a long weekend (Monday November 11 is a public holiday), usually conducive to family departures. SNCF Réseau explains: “In 2020, we organized a broad consultation with all the railway companies operating on the line (SNCF Voyageurs, Trenitalia, Renfe). This consultation led to a traffic interruption during the long weekend of November 11 being selected as the time slot with the least impact for travelers. The one selected preserves departures on Friday November 8 evening.“
But a certain number of Provençals who were supposed to go to the capital this weekend or to the North of France were indeed impacted. This is particularly the case of Léna, a 29-year-old violinist from Aix, who goes to Paris every other weekend to perform concerts. “To avoid spending my day on the train on Monday or taking the plane, I greatly extended my stay in Paris“, she explains. Fortunately, this Provençal musician was able to be hosted by friends but these three additional days in Paris will still represent a certain cost.
A round trip by car for 400 euros
For his part, Jérémy, a resident of Mallemort, opted for a car journey. Having to attend his grandmother's funeral in the North of France this Tuesday, this forty-year-old preferred to take the wheel. “There were no trains available and plane tickets were too expensive“, he explains. His round trip will still cost him more than 400 euros.
But faced with such a hassle, some Provençals simply preferred to cancel their trip. “Every year, at the beginning of November, I return to Marseille to celebrate several family birthdays, including mine. This year, the November 11 holiday falls on a Monday, which is perfect. But that was without taking into account the work of the SNCF… After the price increase and the delays, they chose nothing better than to do this over a three-day weekend!quips the Marseillaise, rising to make a career. The festivities are postponed. Hoping they won't be on strike at Christmas!“.
Indeed, all SNCF unions have called for an indefinite strike from Wednesday December 11 to demand a moratorium against the announced dismantling of Fret SNCF. But asked whether the government would ensure that there were trains at Christmas, Transport Minister François Durovray replied this Sunday: “No one would accept that this is not the case“, without further details. Appointment made in a few weeks.
