SNCF traffic interrupted between Paris and Lyon: trains are leaving again, what traffic on Thursday?

SNCF traffic was completely interrupted on the South-East high-speed line between Paris and Lyon this Wednesday. Traffic resumed at 5 p.m. A return to normal is expected for Thursday.

Just a few days after the sabotage that disrupted traffic on TGV lines in France, SNCF traffic was once again completely interrupted on Wednesday 31 July at 7:30 am on the South-East line, between Paris and Lyon. Traffic resumed at 5 pm. However, it is being done very gradually since only one of the tracks is usable at the moment.

The SNCF specifies that work must still take place until 8 p.m. on the second track. On Wednesday evening, three out of four TGVs can run, although with longer journey times. A return to normal is announced for tomorrow, Thursday, August 1, by the railway company.

What refund for cancelled trains?

In a press release, the SNCF provided details on requests for refunds or exchanges of tickets. Thus, for travelers with a TGV Inoui ticket, it is “exchangeable and refundable without charge at the site or agency from which the purchase” was made.

For Ouigo tickets, these are “exchangeable and refundable free of charge in the form of a voucher that can be credited on the site http://ouigo.com or on the Ouigo application”. If travelers do not take any action, the ticket will be “automatically refunded”, it is specified. Finally, for regional trains, a refund request can be made “up to 60 days after departure via this form: https://www.sncf-voyageurs.com/fr/contactez-nous/reclamation-voyage/“.

Why is SNCF traffic interrupted between Paris and Lyon this Wednesday?

“The passage of a sudden mini-tornado” which caused “damage to the rail, road and electricity networks” is the cause of this interruption of traffic, revealed the SNCF. Several trees fell on the high-speed line (LGV) South-East at the height of Saint-Florentin, in Yonne. A TGV connecting Lyon to Rennes hit a tree, fortunately there were no injuries on board.

On Wednesday morning, the SNCF estimated that “80,000 passengers [allaient être] impacted” during the day and asked passengers not to go to the station. All traffic had been interrupted on the Paris-Lyon and Paris-Dijon sections. “Since the classic line is affected, there is no possibility of diversion as was the case last weekend on the other high-speed lines affected by the acts of sabotage,” the company said. Around sixty agents in total were mobilized this Wednesday to put the tracks back into service, including logging operations to free the rails.