Blocked Strike notices have also been filed for Christmas and New Year weekends
Some trains will remain at the platform this weekend. — Adil Benayache/SIPA
The SNCF has announced this Wednesday that train traffic would be “slightly disrupted” for departures on Christmas holidays, this weekend, with “twenty TGV canceled” on Friday, due to a strike by signalmen at the call of Sud-Rail. “At the national level, around twenty TGVs out of a total of 700 in circulation on Friday will be abolished,” to the SNCF, which provides a “normal or almost normal service” for the TGV Est, Nord and Sud, and “nearly 9 out of 10 trains operated” for the TGV Atlantique, “including two out of three trains for the links between Paris and Bordeaux”, due to the conflict of the signalmen, but also to a local movement of the drivers.
The SNCF signalmen operate the network: without them, the trains cannot run. They demand better recognition of their profession and an improvement in their working conditions. The drivers’ strike on the TGV Atlantique axis is at stake. the initiative of an inter-union bringing together CGT-Cheminots, Unsa-Ferroviaire, SUD-Rail and CFDT-Cheminots.
Strikes over the Christmas weekend ?
The SNCF also provides for almost normal traffic on intercity trains and possible disruptions for the Transilien and TER. The unions denounce the shortages of personnel which deteriorate the working conditions of the drivers and criticize the choice of the management to reduce the number of training courses.
The SNCF invites travelers to consult their usual information tools to check the circulation of their trains, the day before. 17 hours. For the rest of the vacation, the controllers have also filed strike notices covering the Christmas and New Year weekends, which ongoing negotiations had not allowed to be lifted; this stage.