“Black” day in SNCF transport in Ile-de-France. The unions are calling for a massive strike this Tuesday, May 21 and will considerably slow down traffic in the RER, Transilien and trams in the Paris region.
Difficult to travel on transport in Ile-de-France this Tuesday, May 21. The SNCF has announced a black day on the Ile-de-France networks while the Sud-Rail and CGT-Cheminot unions joined by Unsa-Ferroviaire are calling for a strike. The mobilization is such that for several days the SNCF has been inviting travelers to postpone their trips as much as possible and to favor teleworking this Tuesday. In its detailed forecasts on Sunday evening in a press release, the SNCF confirmed that “the circulation of trains, RER, tram trains, will be very seriously disrupted”.
What are the disruptions from the SNCF strike this Tuesday?
► The five RER lines are affected by the SNCF strike in Ile-de-France. Very few trains run between 1 train in 5 and 1 train in 2 in the best case.
- RER A: 1 train out of 2 for the Cergy Poissy branches.
- RER B: 1 train out of 2 on the northern part of the line and 2 trains out of 3 on its southern part. The connection is maintained and no train change is necessary at Gare du Nord.
- RER C: 2 out of 5 trains during rush hour, from 6 a.m. to 10 a.m. and from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m., with 1 train every 15 minutes to 30 minutes. No train between Paris Austerlitz and Invalides, between Choisy le Roi and Massy Palaiseau, between Ermont Eaubonne and Pontoise. Several stations are not served: Avenue du Président Kennedy, Boulainvilliers, Versailles RG, Porchefontaine, Dourdan la Forêt.
- RER D: 1 in 5 trains only during rush hour, evenings from 6:30 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. and from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. The connection is suspended between Gare de Lyon and Châtelet les Halles. No trains between Goussainville and Creil, between Melun and Corbeil and between Corbeil and Juvisy via Ris Orangis.
- RER E: 2 out of 5 trains during rush hour and no trains from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. No train between Haussmann Saint Lazare and Nanterre la Folie. Several stations are not served: Rosny Bois Perrier, Rosny sous Bois, Nogent le Perreux, Les Boullereaux Champigny.
► Around ten Transilien lines are also affected over there SNCF strike and significant disruptions.
- Lines K and P: 1 train out of 2. On line P, a replacement bus is set up on the section between La Ferté Milon and Crécy La Chapelle.
- Lines H, J, L, N and U: 1 train in 3.
- Line R: 1 in 5 trains only during rush hour, i.e. from 6 a.m. to 8 a.m. and from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. No train between Montereau and Melun via Héricy.
- Line V: 2 trains out of 5.
► Two tram lines were also disrupted this Tuesday.
- T4: 1 tram every 15 minutes between Aulnay Sous Bois and Bondy. No traffic between Gargan and Montfermeil Hospital.
- T11: 1 tram every 20 minutes.
A strike in the metros and at the RATP?
The massive strike and the significant disruptions planned for transilian transport traffic only concern lines managed by SNCF. The RATP unions have not called to join the mobilization and no disruption is expected on the Paris metro lines.
The RATP did not call a strike, because unlike the SNCF its agents have reached an agreement regarding the compensation they will receive for their work during the period of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. RATP employees will receive a bonus of 1,000 euros gross on average and this sum could rise up to 2,500 euros for busy metro and RER drivers.
Why are SNCF agents going on strike this Tuesday, May 21?
The objective of this strike movement is to put pressure on the management of the SNCF ahead of the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games while the agents are demanding compensation for their mobilization during the Olympic period. “We found that the negotiation was dragging a little and we wanted to provoke things” explained Fabien Villedieu, Sud-Rail federal secretary. The unions are demanding, among other things, an increase in the bonus planned for the Olympics. In particular, the fact that in August, many employees would not be able to go on vacation due to a significant workload, with 4,500 additional trains.