SNCF strike: "90% of trains will run this weekend," according to the company's boss
By The New Obs with AFP
Published on , updated on
A TGV train at Montparnasse station in Paris, May 5, 2025. EMY GINESTAL/SIPA
SNCF CEO Jean-Pierre Farandou assured on Tuesday, May 6, that "90% of trains will run this weekend," despite the call for a strike launched by several unions . "All departures will go well since there is almost no strike on Wednesday and Thursday," and "there will be a train on Sunday to bring everyone back," Jean-Pierre Farandou said on France Inter, after a first day of strikes on Monday, the effects of which were limited to regional trains .
"Don't cancel, your train will run," said the head of the public company, estimating that "most customers will actually get the train they bought a ticket for," while "a few may have to travel an hour or two." All tickets remain exchangeable and refundable without fees on both TGV Inoui and Ouigo for the week of May 5 to 11.
Influential collective of controllersTwo SNCF unions have filed several strike notices for this week , during which many French people plan to "take a long break" after the May 8 holiday. The union demands mainly concern the revaluation of a bonus and the organization of work. The first day of the strike on Monday had limited effects, sparing the main lines.
This Tuesday, train and RER service is expected to be "disrupted to a similar extent" as Monday on lines B, C, D, H, N, V, and U in the Île-de-France region, SNCF Voyageurs announced Monday evening. SNCF Voyageurs has scheduled a press briefing for this Tuesday at 10:30 a.m. to update train, Inoui, Ouigo, and Intercités departure forecasts.
The CGT-Cheminots and SUD-Rail unions are demanding higher pay and better planning of schedules, which they say are too often changed at the last minute. For the May 8th bank holiday, an influential collective of ticket inspectors called the Collectif national ASCT (CNA) has joined the call for action, giving it momentum.
Also read
Series “At SNCF, AI saves teams a lot of time”
"I think the French don't really understand why some categories of railway workers are still, in fact, demanding money," said Jean-Pierre Farandou. Negotiations are "open" and "there's no point in holding categorical strikes (...) which annoy everyone," said the CEO. "We need to be able to dialogue calmly, calmly, and serenely, listening to all the unions," he added. Meetings are planned for the beginning of June with representatives of the drivers and supervisors.
Due to the calls for strikes, some travelers have already begun looking for alternatives. "There are already people who have canceled," "thousands" according to Jean-Pierre Farandou. "We saw it, we made fewer sales for this May 8th bridge than we usually do," he said. "Our competitors are laughing. There are trains that are completely full. And Blablacar, it's more than 20 or 30%. Car rental, the same," he lamented. Car rental company Ada reported Monday that it was seeing a 30% increase in reservations for this long weekend compared to 2024, when May 8th fell on a Wednesday.
By The New Obs with AFP
%3Aquality(70)%3Afocal(3283x1691%3A3293x1701)%2Fcloudfront-eu-central-1.images.arcpublishing.com%2Fliberation%2F6IRSJOQ2UVGIBIKUCYIOJMYSTE.jpg&w=3840&q=100)
%3Aquality(70)%3Afocal(2814x1400%3A2824x1410)%2Fcloudfront-eu-central-1.images.arcpublishing.com%2Fliberation%2FTNHC6KY7XFHBFIVGLME4NXBJWU.jpg&w=3840&q=100)