Latest news with #Ouigo
Local Spain
02-06-2025
- Business
- Local Spain
Ouigo calls train strike in Spain in June: What you need to know
Partial Ouigo rail strikes are due to take place on June 12th, 13th, 23rd and 27th, while a full strike day will be held on June 26th. This will result in the cancellation of up to 40 journeys and could affect up to 22,000 passengers. The protests are being called over the dismissal of a train driver and the alleged breach of the collective agreement, which was signed just over a year ago. The union estimates that it will affect some 22,000 commuters and explains that company's "inflexible stance" regarding the reinstatement of the driver, "fired without any justifiable cause," is forcing Semaf to take action and call a walkout. Semaf has stated that company's nearly 100 drivers are scheduled to take five days of full- and part-time work stoppages. The 40 journeys will affect 15 different Spanish cities including Madrid, Barcelona, Tarragona, Valencia, Alicante, Elche, Zaragoza, Seville, Málaga, Córdoba, Valladolid, Segovia, Albacete, Cuenca, and Murcia. The strike times are as follows: June 12th and 13th - from 6:30am to 1:00pm and from 4:00pm to 7:00pm June 23rd - from 6:45am to 1:25pm and from 3:30pm to 6:30pm June 26th - All day June 27th - from 6:30am to 1:15pm and from 3:45pm to 7:00pm Semaf explained that the dismissal occurred "without just cause" and warns that Ouigo's conduct violates labour rights and opens the door to similar decisions against other employees. These accusations are compounded by alleged pressure on drivers to maintain operations, which, according to the union, could conflict with safety regulations and agreed working conditions. Ouigo responded to the strike call by saying "Ouigo states that the difficult decision to separate itself from the employee in question is motivated by the repetition of actions that justify it. After having implemented a training and support plan by experienced drivers, the results have continued to be dissatisfactory for a position of such responsibility. The company offered the employee a position unrelated to driving, which was ultimately rejected'. The company confirmed, however, that negotiations "remain open' and they hope to come to some type of agreement before the stoppages take place. "We reiterate our commitment to fulfilling the signed agreement and express our full willingness and efforts to listen to any proposals for improvements in its implementation, as well as to maintain fluid and beneficial working relationships between all parties', they stated. They also confirmed their commitment to safety, compliance with the collective bargaining agreement and disciplinary regulations. If the strike goes ahead the company could become the first private rail operator in Spain to do so. Ouigo is a low-cost, high-speed train service run by SNCF in France. Ouigo España first launched in 2021.
Local France
05-05-2025
- Local France
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. Advertisement 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.
Local Spain
09-04-2025
- Business
- Local Spain
Spain to launch direct Barcelona-Seville rail service with no train swap
Spain's public rail operator Renfe has launched a new direct high speed AVE train service between Barcelona and Seville without having to change trains or stop in Madrid. The new service will begin on April 23rd 2025 and means that travellers will no longer have to change trains at Madrid's Atocha station if they want to travel between the two cities. This will mean a quicker and easier journey overall. Trains will depart daily from Seville-Santa Justa at 6am and arrive in Barcelona-Sants at 12:41pm, and then continue on to Figueres near the French border, ending its journey at 1:44 pm. Other stops en route will include Córdoba, Puertollano, Ciudad Real, Zaragoza, Lérida, Tarragona and Girona. In the opposite direction, it will depart daily, except on Saturdays, at 4:58pm from Barcelona-Sants and arrive at 10:49pm in Seville, with stops in Zaragoza, Madrid, and Córdoba. The quickest journey will take a total of five hours and 48 minutes. Ticket prices for the direct option start from around €100 each way. This new service will run alongside six daily services with changes between Sevilla and Barcelona which will continue to be operational. These services take between six and seven hours and offer a wide range of prices and travel times. Renfe will also continue to offer connections through a single integrated ticket. This allows passengers to combine routes without needing to buy multiple tickets. Other operators that run services between Seville and Barcelona include low-cost operator Iryo which takes just under six hours. Ouigo does not offer the same route, but you can buy separate tickets from Barcelona to Madrid and then another ticket from Madrid to Sevilla and vice versa.
Local France
07-03-2025
- Local France
French rail tickets to go on sale for peak summer holiday period
Tickets for France's high-speed TGV InOui and Intercités trains will go on sale on Wednesday, March 12th for travel during the peak summer holiday period (between July 5th and August 31st), SNCF announced on its website. Which tickets are going on sale? Budget-friendly tickets with France's Ouigo services will be available for the period of July 5 to December 13th, as well as those for the TGV InOui Sud-Est trains. As for trips on the TGV Lyria and Inoui journeys (to Spain or Italy), you will be able to book trips between July 5th and December 13th. For travel to Luxembourg, Fribourg or Brussels, you will be able to buy tickets up to August 31st. Meanwhile, for Deutsche Bahn Aktiengesellschaft customers, reservations are possible six months in advance. The benefits of buying tickets quickly... According to a study conducted by the ticket sales platform Trainline and reported by Le Parisien, TGV users are better off buying their tickets in the week that sales open to get the best prices, so mark your calendars. The most popular services – between Paris-Nice, Paris-Cannes, or Paris-Marseille – are known to sell out very quickly. You can also set up an alert to find out if tickets to your preferred destination have gone on sale via SNCF-Connect.
Local France
10-02-2025
- Business
- Local France
Air France frequent-flyers to get discounted French train tickets
Members of the Air France Flying Blue loyalty programme can now use their Miles to gain ticket vouchers for French national rail services, French news outlet BFMTV reported. The vouchers will range from a €25 to €100 discount on your SNCF high-speed TGV train journey, but the amount of the discount will depend on the number of Miles you hold as an Air France Flying Blue client. The system will be tiered; With 7,500 'Miles' you can get an SNCF voucher worth €25 With 15,400 Miles you can get a €50 voucher With 30,000 Miles you can get a €100 voucher The standard is that four miles are accrued for every one euro spent via Air France's Flying Blue programme - more information on their website. Which train journeys qualify? Currently, the discounts will only apply to high-speed inOui train journeys. However, SNCF and Air France hope to include the budget Ouigo trains into the programme by the summer, and they are also looking into opening it up to Transavia budget flights as well. Any other benefits? SNCF and Air France have - for the last 30 years - allowed customers to book a bundled train and plane ticket together. The benefit to the bundled ticket offering is that users are assured that if they miss their plane due to a train delay, they will be rebooked on the next flight. This is not entirely guaranteed if you book your tickets separately. The Air France and SNCF partnership also allow people to book train journeys up to a year in advance, which is exceptional considering the fact that SNCF rail tickets are usually only available four months before the departure date. The one downside is that you would choose the train trip that matches your flight time best, instead of choosing based on the price of the train ticket. The two companies estimate that 300,000 people use the 'Train+Air' programme every year, but they hope to increase this figure tenfold with the new voucher offering.
