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SNCF strike at Christmas: here are the alternatives to be able to leave despite everything

2022-12-21T11:48:15.210Z


PRACTICAL – The social movement of the controllers risks leaving 200,000 travelers on the floor this weekend. Your TGV is cancelled? The good news: there are other solutions. The bad: it might take longer. And more expensive.


Due to the strike by SNCF train managers from December 22 at 8 p.m. to December 26 at 8 a.m., 2 out of 3 TGVs are maintained on Friday December 23 and the situation “

should be similar, or even slightly worse.

“The next two days, warns the SNCF.

Among the 800,000 passengers expected, 200,000 risk seeing their train canceled, estimates the management of SNCF Voyageurs.

Those concerned will be reimbursed double the amount of their ticket, provided they request it before the scheduled departure time, the company announced on Wednesday morning.

Disturbances cannot be ruled out during the New Year weekend, the CGT and Sud-Rail having maintained their strike notice for the period from December 30 to January 2, 2023. Fortunately other transport solutions are available to those who absolutely wish to cross France to join their family for New Year's Eve.

By rail or by road, here are the alternatives.

Read alsoStrikes: plane, train… What awaits travelers at Christmas

The TER

The strike will affect TGVs more than TERs.

However, most high-speed connections are doubled by regional trains running on conventional lines.

The journey time is generally multiplied by two or three but remains acceptable on certain journeys, such as between Paris and Le Mans (2h10 instead of 55 minutes) or Paris and Reims (2h instead of 45 minutes).

Examples of TER connections from Paris (prices are without reduction):

  • Reims: about 2 hours from Paris-Est with TER Fluo;

    €32.10 per trip,

  • Lille: about 2h10 from Paris-Nord with TER Hauts-de-France;

    between 20 and 39 € per trip,

  • Le Mans: about 2h20 from Paris-Montparnasse with Aléop;

    24 € per trip,

  • Strasbourg: about 4h45 from Paris-Est with TER Fluo;

    €73.40 per journey in 2nd class;

    this train also passes through Nancy,

  • Lyon: about 5h10 from Paris-Bercy;

    €65.60 per trip with TER Bourgogne-Franche-Comté;

    this train also passes through Dijon.

These regional train connections are difficult to find on SNCF Connect, the site tending to highlight the TGV.

Once in the results, it is best to use the “Filter by” function and check only the “TER” box.

Another solution: book directly with the regional TER sites.

Advantage: the prices of TER tickets are fixed, unlike those of the TGV which vary according to demand.

Disadvantage: the seats are not reservable, so passengers are not guaranteed to travel seated.

Furthermore, the SNCF Avantage cards cannot be used in all regions.

All the same, check the traffic forecasts from 5 p.m. the day before departure: disruptions in the TER trains vary from one region to another.

Read alsoTGV / TER connections: why it's hell

Trenitalia

Trenitalia's Frecciarossa connect Paris to Lyon five times a day.

A. Mostras

If you are traveling between Paris, Lyon, Chambéry and Modane, Trenitalia's high-speed trains are an alternative to the TGV inOui and Ouigo.

The Italian company, established in France for a year, is not affected by any social movement.

It offers five daily round trips between Paris and Lyon, two of which are extended to Turin and Milan, in Italy, on board its Frecciarossa.

Read alsoOne year of Trenitalia in France: the SNCF rival does not intend to stop there

Interurban bus

Two players share the coach transport market in France: the German

Flixbus

and the French

BlaBlaCar Bus

.

The journeys are generally two to three times longer than by TGV.

Count three hours for a Paris-Lille, six hours for a Paris-Lyon or a Paris-Bordeaux.

However, the coach is faster on certain transverse axes (Bordeaux-Lyon, Toulouse-Grenoble, etc.) and on links not served by the TGV, towards Normandy in particular.

Contacted by

Le Figaro

, BlaBlaCar Bus notes "

a 35% increase in reservations compared to the same period in 2021

".

The coach company plans to double the capacity of its network on December 22 and 23, mainly on the following routes: Paris-Strasbourg-Colmar, Paris-Lyon-Grenoble, Paris-Toulouse-Perpignan, Paris-Nantes and Paris-Rennes .

Who says increase in demand, says soaring prices.

While the coach is particularly economical in normal times with tickets starting at around ten euros, this is far from being the case during peak periods.

Thus, for a Paris-Lyon on December 23, you have to pay 100 € both at Flixbus and BlaBlaCar Bus.

As in air and rail, fares are calculated according to the occupancy rate (

yield management

): the more the coaches fill up, the more expensive the places are...

Read alsoTraveling a child alone by train, instructions for use

Carpooling

BlaBlaCar recorded a doubling of reservations on December 20 compared to the previous week.

BlaBlaCar

Go from point A to point B in a private vehicle.

This is the principle of carpooling, a market dominated for more than ten years by the French company BlaBlaCar.

The platform allows a driver to share his expenses (petrol, tolls, etc.) by making his free seats available to travellers.

A little faster than the coach, this mode of transport is slightly more expensive.

Even if carpooling areas are multiplying, the starting and ending points are chosen by the driver.

The company announces that 300,000 seats are offered on the platform this Christmas weekend and that the number of reservations doubled yesterday (the day the SNCF strike was confirmed) compared to the previous week.

Read alsoAre you going on vacation in an electric car?

Our tips to avoid the galleys

Car rental

Another alternative to the train: car rental, from traditional agencies (Hertz, Avis, etc.) or private individuals (Getaround, OuiCar, etc.).

The DriiveMe and Hiflow Rent (formerly LuckyLoc) sites offer one-way rentals for just €1.

The user then becomes a conveyor by repatriating the vehicle (city car, sedan, utility, etc.) to an individual or a professional.

The rental includes insurance, a mileage package and 24-hour use.

Gasoline and tolls are the responsibility of the driver, who can advertise his journey on a carpooling site.

Source: lefigaro

All news articles on 2022-12-21

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