We know more about train traffic on Thursday, November 21, when a strike was announced by the railway workers' unions. As reported earlier today, traffic will be “quasi-normal” on high-speed trains, TGV Inoui and Ouigo. But on a regional scale, trains should see their circulation impacted.
Throughout France, seven out of ten regional express trains (TER) will run on average. In Provence, on the Blue Coast, the Marseille-Miramas line will be particularly affected, with “one in three trains“.
The disruptions should begin on the evening of Wednesday, November 20, before continuing into the day of Thursday, November 21.
Several Provençal TER lines impacted
Other regional rail TER lines will accommodate two trains out of three, such as the Marseille-Avignon line via the Etang de Berre, the Marseille-Aix-en-Provence line, and the Marseille-Toulon line.
According to SNCF explanations, travelers can no longer reserve tickets on canceled trains. “Only those which are in circulation are available for open booking.“, specifies the regional branch of SNCF Voyageurs.
The TER lines linking Marseille to Nice and Marseille to Lyon will experience a “service normal“, Thursday November 21.
Nationally, disruptions are expected on Intercity lines, with on average “one train out of two” for those who travel during the day. No Intercités night trains will run on Thursday, November 21.
The SNCF indicates that “only customers affected by a cancellation will be contacted individually“. “They will benefit from a free exchange or refund“, specifies the railway company.
A “square” strike as a “warm-up” before December
This strike is of type “square“, according to the terms used by the SNCF. It should only last one day. It is in fact a “warm-up“, in the eyes of the CGT-Cheminots, which is calling for a longer strike action from December 11, as the end-of-year holidays approach.
The various railway unions denounce the dismantling of Fret SNCF, a rail freight transport company, which will result in the loss of 500 jobs.
The CGT-Cheminots denounces in particular “a process of privatization in the broad sense“, Who “will apply to travelers tomorrow“.
In Provence, the opening to competition will notably lead the company Transdev to run trans on the Marseille-Nice line, from June 2025, in place of the SNCF.
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