The Sud-Rail and CGT unions announced on Monday their intention to maintain your strike notices for SNCF controllers on Christmas and New Year weekends. Sud-Rail received, in particular, the mandate of a group of controllers to examine the proposals to increase the remuneration of managers.
According to the first forecasts of the SNCF, this Friday an average of 2 trains out of three will circulate, a situation that should continue during the weekend. In the last few hours, many travelers have received messages from the SNCF by email or SMS to notify them of the cancellation of their train. What are the solutions to move around France?
• Take another train
People affected by the cancellation of their train can request a full refund of their ticket or exchange it for another trip. But a few days before Christmas Eve and ten days before New Year’s Eve, the available places are few, if not non-existent.
To leave, for example, for Lorient on December 23 or 24, the trains are either canceled or full. The same for Bordeaux, Lyon, Marseille or Annecy. For Strasbourg, some places are still free, but only in 1st at 143 euros each way.
For December 31 there are still some places available, but it is difficult to know if the trains with strike notices that can fall 48 hours before will continue.
It is forbidden to board a train without a ticket for it, even if you have a reservation for a train that has been cancelled. In any case, you will have to pass control, which is not easy, but above all you expose yourself to a fine of up to 375 euros for trains with compulsory reservation. It remains to be seen whether ticket checks will be carried out on crowded trains at the risk of increasing traveler discontent.
• Shared car
During the holidays, carpooling services are already full, but this time they have taken it by storm. Blablacar notes a 20% increase in demand due to the combined effects of parties and strikes. This figure may even be revised upwards as the exits approach.
But already, not a single one is available on December 23 and 24 from Paris to Morbihan, unless you leave very early from the outer suburbs or agree to leave at the end of the night to arrive around midnight at best. . For Marseille, there are some places available at prices ranging from 70 to almost 100 euros. Same for Bordeaux. For Lyon, prices range from 20 to 70 euros, but they are rare.
• The bus
Good surprise, the buses are not taken by storm yet and there are places left for Christmas and New Years. Blablabus estimates a 35% increase in passengers compared to last year and has increased transport capacity by 50%, especially on the most popular routes at the moment from Paris, but also between Lyon and Grenoble or Chamonix and between Grenoble and Geneva . On the other hand, there is no more room for Paris Guingamp. As for prices, there will be no increase, but be careful.
• Rent a car
For those who can afford it or need it, car rental is still the last option. Offers are plentiful, but weekend rates can be high. At Avis, for a small city car like the Fiat 500 (4 seats), it will cost you between 250 and 300 euros with unlimited mileage. For a 5-seater sedan, the price ranges between 450 and 550 euros.
At Sixt, renting a car for a trip from Paris to Marseille is close to 2,000 euros. But at Hertz, no vehicles are available in Paris for rent from December 23-25.
The rent remains between individuals. On the OuiCar, Getaround or Free2Move sites, there are many offers between December 23 and 25. Prices start, depending on the platform, around 130 euros for a Clio III and for a maximum distance of 300 kilometers.
Source: BFM TV
