French strike risks 'severe disruption' to half-term rail travel
Rob GillRail services in France, including Eurostar trains to and from London, will be “severely disrupted” by a major strike during the current busy half-term holiday period.
Workers for French national rail company SNCF started their walkout at 8pm on Thursday (15 February) and the stoppage is due to run until 8am on Monday (19 February).
Eurostar said it would be running a revised timetable on its routes to and from London between Friday and Sunday because of the impact of the strike.
“If your train is expected to run as normal between 16 and 18 February, you can choose to travel as planned or exchange your ticket for free to travel at a later date,” said the train operator in an update to customers.
SNCF also warned that its long-distance TGV and Intercites services would be “highly disrupted” during the strike period, with around half of the normal scheduled trains, including InOui and Ouigo services, cancelled.
Airline Jet2.com advised passengers heading to France during the next few days to “allow extra time for your journey to the airport as we are operating all our flights as scheduled”.
“Please arrive at the airport at least two hours before your departure time,” added the carrier in a statement. “Check-in closes 40 minutes before a flight’s departure time. If you have a Jet2holidays transfer, this will not be affected by this industrial action.”
The Foreign Office has updated its travel advice for France to reflect the potential impact of the strike action.
“Between 8pm Thursday 15 February and 8am Monday 19 February strike action by onboard train managers will severely disrupt national and regional rail services, with many services cancelled,” said the FCDO. “Check your operator’s advice before travelling, including where you are taking connecting trains.”
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