The SNCF controllers' strike must end after disrupting the winter holiday weekend.
The SNCF estimated that 150,000 travelers, out of the million who were supposed to travel, were unable to take their train during the three days of strike, with the cancellation of one in two TGVs.
And train traffic will remain “strongly disrupted” for a few more hours: it should last until Monday at 8 a.m., warned the railway company.
The movement was very popular with three out of four controllers on strike over salary increases.
The customers concerned have all been notified by email or SMS, assures the SNCF, and can be reimbursed if their train has been canceled.
Trenitalia is filling up
This weekend sees the first returns from zone C (Paris, Montpellier and Toulouse) but also departures from zone A (Lyon, Bordeaux, Dijon, etc.), and the SNCF has favored connections to the ski resorts of the Alps where trains were full in both directions.
Certain train lines were more affected by the strike, such as Paris-Bordeaux where two thirds of trains were canceled on Saturday.
But there should be more trains on this Atlantic axis on Sunday, TGV Atlantique boss Franck Dubourdieu announced to AFP.
If some customers change their ticket to travel on Monday, “we will be able to transport everyone,” he assured Friday.
Read alsoSNCF strike: “A controller earns around €2,500 net in mid-career”
Some travelers on the Paris Lyon line fell back on the trains of the railway company Trenitalia which were 8% more full than last year.
“The peak exists this year but it is difficult to say what part is natural demand and what is the impact of strike announcements,” underlined a spokesperson for the new competitor SNCF.
“We deplore the strikes in the railway sector.
They keep travelers away from the train, the most ecological mode of transport, especially during periods when they need it most,” continued the Trenitalia spokesperson.
“Doubling of reservations” on BlaBlaCar
The BlaBlaCar platform has observed a “doubling of the demand for reservations” for carpooling and coaches since the announcement of the SNCF transport plan on Wednesday.
BlaBlaCar indicated on Saturday that it had added additional journeys to “cope with demand”, notably from Paris to Rennes, Toulouse, Nice and Marseille and that there were still places in carpooling.
On the roads, motorists found themselves stuck in traffic jams on Saturday in Auvergne - Rhône-Alpes as they approached ski resorts, but also in the Paris region.
Sunday should be calmer on the road network, according to Bison futé.