Prevent instead of healing. In early August, SNCF Voyageurs decided to cancel several interurban trains between this Tuesday and Friday, including. Aware that the air conditioning of the old coral trains used in certain lines could let go due to the intense heat wave that crosses the country, the company prefers to avoid the worst. Namely, a train blocked in the open field in the middle of a dodge with all the associated risks for travelers and agents.
“The current warm climate leads us to temporarily reduce our transport offer in some of the lines operated by the interites. This measure aims to avoid possible air conditioning breakdown linked to very high temperatures,” explains the operator.
Paris-Clermont-Ferrand and Bordeaux-Marseille
Here are the trains concerned about these cancellations for Tuesdays and Wednesday, most of the time at the hottest moment of the day:
- For Paris-Clermont Ferrand: Two round trips eliminated at eight: 10:27 am and 1:28 pm this Tuesday and on Wednesday in the sense of Clermont-Paris and those of the 1 PM Tuesday and Wednesday, the 1:57 PM Tuesday and the 2:01 PM Wednesday in the opposite direction.
- For Bordeaux-Marseille: three round trips eliminated (more than eight in total): those of 10:09 am, 12:10 pm and 2:10 pm in the direction of Bordeaux-Marseyille on Tuesday and Wednesday. For Marseille-Bordeaux, the trains of 11:22 am, 1:21 pm and 3:25 pm are eliminated.
Train cuts are also expected on Thursdays and Fridays. In detail, three rounded round trips-Marseille, as well as two Paris-Clermont-Ferrand round trips, at the same hours as Tuesday and Wednesday.
“With respect to the Paris-Limoges-Toulouse line, in which work in progress in northern Orleans already leads to adaptations of the transport plan in the middle of the day on business days, the measurement is only applied on Friday, August 15, with 3 round trips eliminated,” specifies the operator.
Retail customers and reimbursements
Obviously, these deletions lead to criticism, especially because the lines in question generally experience important difficulties. The unions criticize the ruin of the equipment used (dating from the 1980s), while customers are alarmed not to find places to return (which disputes SNCF travelers).
“We are fully aware of the inconveniences that this situation causes our customers and we regretly regret it. All clients in question are contacted to be contacted to allow them to reorganize their trip with the maximum possible anticipation, places available in supervision trains (those who leave or before, note of the editor),” it is said.
“All worried customers benefit from the exchange or reimbursement without the costs of their tickets. The composition of the supervisors will also be strengthened to facilitate the postponement of customers whose trains will be eliminated,” continues the operator.
A position shared by Philippe Tabarot, the Minister of Transportation. “This decision made by the SNCF is not glorious, but it is realistic and caution compared to the state of the team today. According to the SNCF, we did not want to run the risk of undermining the team and leaving travelers in case of a problem of 4 to 5 hours of travelers without air conditioning,” he said on Tuesday.
One thing is safe, this situation should no longer reproduce in the coming years since SNCF travelers will gradually receive the new oxygen trains that will be exploited in Paris-Clermont, Paris-Toulouse and Bordeaux-Marseille. All new trains that are equipped with robust air conditioning against heat wave episodes.
Source: BFM TV
