Due to modernization work, trains cannot run at high speed on the Paris-Marseille line until Tuesday, November 12. To avoid a journey of more than 7 hours, some have chosen to travel by plane.
A journey twice as long as usual. Due to the work carried out since Friday November 8 and until Tuesday evening on the high-speed line (LGV) between Paris and Marseille, weekend travelers had to be patient.
“It was a bit long, we had stops on the tracks, but frankly, it was okay,” assures Amélie, a traveler, at the microphone of BFM Marseille Provence. “The only downside was that there was no bar car, because they were not stocked.”
Despite the work, some passengers insisted on continuing their weekend journey. “For such a short trip, for me, it’s either I didn’t come or I took the train,” explains Inès.
But for others, the travel time was more difficult. “It was the worst journey of my life,” laments Nassim. “The train stopped every five seconds. Instead of two and a half hours, it took us seven and a half hours to drive.”
Passengers return to the plane
Some have even chosen to avoid the problem of the long journey by relying on the plane. At Marignane airport, many train regulars this weekend opted exceptionally to travel by air.
“We had to come, so there were two choices: the car or the plane. It had to be quick, so we took the plane,” explains Laurent.
“We fell back on the plane, we had no other solution, otherwise we would spend the day on the train. For a short weekend, we said to ourselves that it was not possible,” Dimitri confirms.
However, the choice of the plane was not made out of joy, but out of necessity.
“It's a bit disturbing, already because it makes you rise earlier, and what's more, in ecological terms, it's a bit of an aberration. We didn't really understand why they were doing work on the weekend of the 11th. -November. It’s the weekend when everyone travels,” asks Marine.
Faced with this influx of travelers, Air France added flights to the line: one more round trip per day between Paris and Marseille.
A relief for users, the work will end on the LGV this Tuesday, November 12 in the evening, for a normal resumption of train traffic from this Wednesday morning.
Anne Bouaziz with Laurène Rocheteau
