French rail bosses say trains 'will circulate' during May strike week
Rail unions representing train drivers, conductors and technicians have issued overlapping strike notices for the period from Monday, May 5th to Sunday, May 11th - targeting the holiday weekend around VE Day.
They are aiming for maximum disruption and a 'black week' on the railways as negotiations over pay and working conditions have broken down.
Latest: What to expect from this week's French rail strikes
However SNCF boss Christophe Fanichet said: "We are far from a black week", adding that the high-speed TGV services should run as normal.
Detailed strike timetables are produced 48 hours in advance, but SNCF says that the high-speed TGV InOui and Ouigo services will run as normal from Monday to Thursday. It is expected that they will also be normal on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, but more details will be available nearer the time.
Fanichet added: "Even though staff can declare themselves on strike just 48 hours in advance, we have the experience to build transport plans taking into account the current level of strike support and projections for the days ahead.'
The disruption will be concentrated on local TER services and the Paris region's RER and Transilien trains.
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The regions of Bourgogne-Franche-Comté, Centre-Val de Loire, Hauts-de-France, Normandie, Nouvelle-Aquitaine, Occitanie and Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur have all reported some level of disruption on local TER trains.
In most cases this involves a reduced service, for example half or one third of the normal level of service.
The most heavily impacted is the greater Paris region of Île-de-France where 'severe' disruption is expected on Monday on the RER and Transilien services - including RER B which links Paris to its two airports.
The Paris Metro, bus and tram services will be unaffected, as their staff are not involved in the dispute.
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