Rail strike help

[Lesley Wake]

** Read later posts for additional general information and updates on the rail strike **

This isn't totally related to DLP, but is to my overall trip to France, so was hoping to get some help from more experienced people on this board!

Of course the rail strike has to happen during our trip. We aren't relying on (non-metro) trains that much, with staying in the center of Paris during that trip, and then renting a car for Loire Valley/Normandy. But, we were planning to take the train from Paris-Tours where we'd pick up the rental car. We hadn't booked train tickets yet but were thinking the intercities was the best option, and knew we'd need to reserve the tickets in advance. Of course, that day (June 2) happens to be one of the rail strike days. So, was hoping for some insight:

1) What is likelihood the strike will still be happening then? I'm guessing high, since from what I've ready neither side is willing to budge.
2) If it's still going on, how far in advance would we know about train schedules and whether trains were cancelled? Even if that particular train wasn't cancelled, would it just be so overcrowded to not make sense?
3) Should we just book a bus instead? I checked and there is a direct bus with a 3-hour travel time (intercities would be 2 hrs, TGV would be 1 hr). I sort of prefer the idea of the train, but does it just make the most sense to get the bus? And if so, should we reserve those seats far in advance just in case?

 

[BadPinkTink]

Just book the bus. The French are notorious for their strikes and things just grind to a halt. Book the bus as soon as you can, as Im sure many others will be doing the same thing.

 

[afan]

This isn't totally related to DLP, but is to my overall trip to France, so was hoping to get some help from more experienced people on this board!

Of course the rail strike has to happen during our trip. We aren't relying on (non-metro) trains that much, with staying in the center of Paris during that trip, and then renting a car for Loire Valley/Normandy. But, we were planning to take the train from Paris-Tours where we'd pick up the rental car. We hadn't booked train tickets yet but were thinking the intercities was the best option, and knew we'd need to reserve the tickets in advance. Of course, that day (June 2) happens to be one of the rail strike days. So, was hoping for some insight:

1) What is likelihood the strike will still be happening then? I'm guessing high, since from what I've ready neither side is willing to budge.
2) If it's still going on, how far in advance would we know about train schedules and whether trains were cancelled? Even if that particular train wasn't cancelled, would it just be so overcrowded to not make sense?
3) Should we just book a bus instead? I checked and there is a direct bus with a 3-hour travel time (intercities would be 2 hrs, TGV would be 1 hr). I sort of prefer the idea of the train, but does it just make the most sense to get the bus? And if so, should we reserve those seats far in advance just in case?

I follow DLP TownSquare on Twitter and he posted about it, this may help as there's some questions/answers in the thread along with the schedule of strike days - https://twitter.com/DLPTownSquare/status/981842339244265472

 

[Lesley Wake]

So after I brought this up to my parents we looked at options. Turns out we could cancel our previous rental car and book a new one picking up and dropping off at CDG. Best part, it saved us over $500! Don’t know why that wasn’t looked at earlier (I wasn’t in charge of rental cars), but at least we won’t have to worry about taking the train anymore!

 

[swimfin]

This isn't totally related to DLP, but is to my overall trip to France, so was hoping to get some help from more experienced people on this board!

Of course the rail strike has to happen during our trip. We aren't relying on (non-metro) trains that much, with staying in the center of Paris during that trip, and then renting a car for Loire Valley/Normandy. But, we were planning to take the train from Paris-Tours where we'd pick up the rental car. We hadn't booked train tickets yet but were thinking the intercities was the best option, and knew we'd need to reserve the tickets in advance. Of course, that day (June 2) happens to be one of the rail strike days. So, was hoping for some insight:

1) What is likelihood the strike will still be happening then? I'm guessing high, since from what I've ready neither side is willing to budge.
2) If it's still going on, how far in advance would we know about train schedules and whether trains were cancelled? Even if that particular train wasn't cancelled, would it just be so overcrowded to not make sense?
3) Should we just book a bus instead? I checked and there is a direct bus with a 3-hour travel time (intercities would be 2 hrs, TGV would be 1 hr). I sort of prefer the idea of the train, but does it just make the most sense to get the bus? And if so, should we reserve those seats far in advance just in case?

Hello!

Thank you for this information! Where did find the strike schedule? We are renting a car for our whole trip, yet planned on taking the RER from DLP into Paris one afternoon.

Cheers!

 

[Lesley Wake]

Hello!

Thank you for this information! Where did find the strike schedule? We are renting a car for our whole trip, yet planned on taking the RER from DLP into Paris one afternoon.

Cheers!

Here is the best site for info I found: https://en.oui.sncf/en/train/strike

Good luck!

 

[etherealcaitiff]

So after I brought this up to my parents we looked at options. Turns out we could cancel our previous rental car and book a new one picking up and dropping off at CDG. Best part, it saved us over $500! Don’t know why that wasn’t looked at earlier (I wasn’t in charge of rental cars), but at least we won’t have to worry about taking the train anymore!

One thing to keep in mind is that a lot of places charge to park, and most hotels do not have a parking lot. Some overnight parking lots can charge €30 per night.

 

[Lesley Wake]

One thing to keep in mind is that a lot of places charge to park, and most hotels do not have a parking lot. Some overnight parking lots can charge €30 per night.

At least we were already planning on getting a rental car starting that day, just the change is we can pickup at CDG rather than Tours. And the savings ended up being close to $1,000! While we have the car, we're staying at Airbnbs with dedicated parking. We considered looking at public transport or tours, but for Loire Valley and Normandy it just makes more sense to be able to make our own schedule with a rental car. My parents will be dropping off the car at CDG the day before they leave, and stay at one of the airport hotels.

 

[cwis]

I'm not sure this information will be useful to OP, just posting it because it might help others stumbling on this topic.

Public transportation in Paris and its suburbs is handled by several companies, such as SNCF (which is on strike 2 days every 5 days for the forthcoming weeks) and RATP (which is NOT on strike).

The section of RER A between La Défense and Marne la Vallée – Chessy, which includes all the stations in central Paris, is handled by RATP and is NOT on strike. Service is normal EVERY DAY, which means you can use the RER A to travel from DLP to Paris and back to DLP without any trouble.

The section of RER B between Gare de Lyon and Aéroport Charles de Gaulle is handled by SNCF, which IS on strike on the forementionned day. If you intend to travel from the airport to DLP on a day where SNCF is on strike, you should allow PLENTY of time in case you need to switch transportation. Easiest backup plan would be to use a taxi or a private cab, cheapest alternatives exist, such as public bus departing from Paris, which are handled by RATP (and thus, not on strike).

In addition, the TGV between DLP and the CDG airport is handled by SNCF, and subject to the strike schedules.
Also, remember that even if you train is not a SNCF train (such as Eurostar or Thalys), the tracks are managed by SNCF and your trains might be impacted if there is a strike.

One last thing: some public bus transportation departing from the Marne la Vallée train station during the night, the so-called “Noctilien” service, while being handled by SNCF, is never on strike, because the staff is different (they're not SNCF employees).

Sorry for the long post, while this might seem obvious to anyone living in France, I wouldn't want anyone being surprised while there is this strike!

 

[Lesley Wake]

I'm not sure this information will be useful to OP, just posting it because it might help others stumbling on this topic.

Public transportation in Paris and its suburbs is handled by several companies, such as SNCF (which is on strike 2 days every 5 days for the forthcoming weeks) and RATP (which is NOT on strike).

The section of RER A between La Défense and Marne la Vallée – Chessy, which includes all the stations in central Paris, is handled by RATP and is NOT on strike. Service is normal EVERY DAY, which means you can use the RER A to travel from DLP to Paris and back to DLP without any trouble.

The section of RER B between Gare de Lyon and Aéroport Charles de Gaulle is handled by SNCF, which IS on strike on the forementionned day. If you intend to travel from the airport to DLP on a day where SNCF is on strike, you should allow PLENTY of time in case you need to switch transportation. Easiest backup plan would be to use a taxi or a private cab, cheapest alternatives exist, such as public bus departing from Paris, which are handled by RATP (and thus, not on strike).

In addition, the TGV between DLP and the CDG airport is handled by SNCF, and subject to the strike schedules.
Also, remember that even if you train is not a SNCF train (such as Eurostar or Thalys), the tracks are managed by SNCF and your trains might be impacted if there is a strike.

One last thing: some public bus transportation departing from the Marne la Vallée train station during the night, the so-called “Noctilien” service, while being handled by SNCF, is never on strike, because the staff is different (they're not SNCF employees).

Sorry for the long post, while this might seem obvious to anyone living in France, I wouldn't want anyone being surprised while there is this strike!

That is actually very helpful!

 

[swimfin]

I'm not sure this information will be useful to OP, just posting it because it might help others stumbling on this topic.

Public transportation in Paris and its suburbs is handled by several companies, such as SNCF (which is on strike 2 days every 5 days for the forthcoming weeks) and RATP (which is NOT on strike).

The section of RER A between La Défense and Marne la Vallée – Chessy, which includes all the stations in central Paris, is handled by RATP and is NOT on strike. Service is normal EVERY DAY, which means you can use the RER A to travel from DLP to Paris and back to DLP without any trouble.

The section of RER B between Gare de Lyon and Aéroport Charles de Gaulle is handled by SNCF, which IS on strike on the forementionned day. If you intend to travel from the airport to DLP on a day where SNCF is on strike, you should allow PLENTY of time in case you need to switch transportation. Easiest backup plan would be to use a taxi or a private cab, cheapest alternatives exist, such as public bus departing from Paris, which are handled by RATP (and thus, not on strike).

In addition, the TGV between DLP and the CDG airport is handled by SNCF, and subject to the strike schedules.
Also, remember that even if you train is not a SNCF train (such as Eurostar or Thalys), the tracks are managed by SNCF and your trains might be impacted if there is a strike.

One last thing: some public bus transportation departing from the Marne la Vallée train station during the night, the so-called “Noctilien” service, while being handled by SNCF, is never on strike, because the staff is different (they're not SNCF employees).

Sorry for the long post, while this might seem obvious to anyone living in France, I wouldn't want anyone being surprised while there is this strike!

WOW!! THANK YOU for all of this DETAILED information!! THIS is exactly what I was looking for! We are picking up our rental car at the Brussels airport and will be driving to all of our locations except Paris! (We have already driven Paris and I do not need to do that again! LOL!) Our one train section is from DLP to the Arc station, so it looks like we are good to go! THANK YOU!

 

[swimfin]

I'm not sure this information will be useful to OP, just posting it because it might help others stumbling on this topic.

Public transportation in Paris and its suburbs is handled by several companies, such as SNCF (which is on strike 2 days every 5 days for the forthcoming weeks) and RATP (which is NOT on strike).

The section of RER A between La Défense and Marne la Vallée – Chessy, which includes all the stations in central Paris, is handled by RATP and is NOT on strike. Service is normal EVERY DAY, which means you can use the RER A to travel from DLP to Paris and back to DLP without any trouble.

The section of RER B between Gare de Lyon and Aéroport Charles de Gaulle is handled by SNCF, which IS on strike on the forementionned day. If you intend to travel from the airport to DLP on a day where SNCF is on strike, you should allow PLENTY of time in case you need to switch transportation. Easiest backup plan would be to use a taxi or a private cab, cheapest alternatives exist, such as public bus departing from Paris, which are handled by RATP (and thus, not on strike).

In addition, the TGV between DLP and the CDG airport is handled by SNCF, and subject to the strike schedules.
Also, remember that even if you train is not a SNCF train (such as Eurostar or Thalys), the tracks are managed by SNCF and your trains might be impacted if there is a strike.

One last thing: some public bus transportation departing from the Marne la Vallée train station during the night, the so-called “Noctilien” service, while being handled by SNCF, is never on strike, because the staff is different (they're not SNCF employees).

Sorry for the long post, while this might seem obvious to anyone living in France, I wouldn't want anyone being surprised while there is this strike!

Hi again! Do you know if the metro, tramway, and bus system in Paris central is run by SNCF or is it part of RER run by RATP. We are trying to figure out if it's better to get the Paris Visite Pass or just buy a round trip ticket from DLP to Paris and back. Our plan is walk the itinerary below (We have done this walk before and are ok with this amount of walking, yet thought if an emergency occurred it might be nice to have a backup transportation plan)

This is our current plan below .... any advice would be greatly appreciated:

• Take RER A from DLP to L'Arc (We are assuming the RER A from DLP goes to here) ... Trying to leave DLP no later than 13:00 ... ideally would like to leave by 12:30, yet we are driving in from Metz in the morning.
• (Go to top of L'Arc if time...need to be at Eiffel Tower at 15:30)
• Walk from L'Arc to Eiffel (30 minutes using Mappy program)
• Visit Eiffel Tower at 15:30
• Walk from Eiffel Tower to Notre Dame along the Seine (We know they close at 18:45 and we might not be able to go inside and that's ok)
• Walk from Notre Dame to L'Arc via Louvre (We know we might not be able to enter the museum as they close at 18:00 and rooms close 30 minute prior)
• Visit top of L'Arc if we didn't have time earlier
• Head back to DLP on RER A from L'Arc ... we are assuming this train will still be running at around 20:00

Thanks!
Cheers!

 

[cwis]

@swimfin, your schedule seems perfectly fine. You are correct RER A goes direct from DLP to the Arc de Triomphe (all trains stops at station Charles-de-Gaulle Étoile, NOT to be confused with the airport which is definitely NOT in Central Paris).

Your schedule allows for plenty of time to return to DLP, as the latest RER departs after midnight from Paris.

The only RER you will want to avoid within your area will be the RER C, which stops at the Eiffel Tower, but is handled by SNCF.

Have fun!

 

[swimfin]

@swimfin, your schedule seems perfectly fine. You are correct RER A goes direct from DLP to the Arc de Triomphe (all trains stops at station Charles-de-Gaulle Étoile, NOT to be confused with the airport which is definitely NOT in Central Paris).

Your schedule allows for plenty of time to return to DLP, as the latest RER departs after midnight from Paris.

The only RER you will want to avoid within your area will be the RER C, which stops at the Eiffel Tower, but is handled by SNCF.

Have fun!

@cwis THANK YOU!!!! We TRULY APPRECIATE all of your help!!! This helps solidify our planning!

Cheers!

 

[cwis]

Bumping this thread up, as it has been announced this morning that RATP will be on strike on April 19th and April 20th.

Expected schedule as follows: 75% of the trains on the RER A, 50% on the RER B.

As a local, I wouldn't trust public transportation to go to the airport, and use whatever transportation I can afford (Uber/cab/Disney buses). I would also avoid using any transportation system during peak hours (6-11am, 4-9pm).

If I were landing at any airport, I would probably *try* to use public transportation, as it would be obviously cheaper for me (since I am already paying for it). Only if things would go crazy, I would try to get a taxi. YMVV.

RATP says they don't expect impact on traffic on the subway, tramway and bus lines they handle. I would trust them somehow, though things may change at the last minute. Thursday will be the day which will be the most difficult, as SNCF is also on strike on this day.

 

[dopeydons]

Will the RER that takes you from DLP to val d Europe be affected? (Sorry for spelling)

 

[cwis]

Will the RER that takes you from DLP to val d Europe be affected? (Sorry for spelling)

The RATP segment of the RER A is not affected by SNCF strikes. Enjoy your shopping at Val d'Europe and La Vallée Village!

 

[brenda1966]

Thanks for all of the helpful info above. It all sounded very promising, except the news that both groups are now striking!

On our arrival date into CDG Airport, the strike will be on, so I think we will try to take the AirFrance Bus (which has a new name now) into Paris (we are staying near L'Arc). Does this seem like the best plan?
For our Versailles day, the strike is not planned, not sure if that will change with the second group now striking as well. We may not make it to Versailles if they are both at it.
For our Disney days, we plan to take the RER A from L'Arc to Disney (where we stay). Sounds like this is solid, except if the RATP is also striking?! If so, I guess we splurge for uber?
To get to the CDG airport from Disney I booked RS Transports shuttle since it is another planned strike day.

 

[dopeydons]

The RATP segment of the RER A is not affected by SNCF strikes. Enjoy your shopping at Val d'Europe and La Vallée Village!

Thank you!