Rail Strike in France - Thursday 22nd May 2014

We have had confirmation that a strike has been scheduled for Thursday 22nd May. This industrial action will begin at 20:00 on Wednesday 21st May and run through until 08:00 on Friday 23rd May 2014.

The following information relates to travel between the times/dates stated only.

Below are refund and exchange conditions that apply to tickets valid on French domestic journeys only.

Domestic French (SNCF) journeys:

All tickets with reservation (and regardless of the after sales conditions stated on the ticket) valid for travel within France between 20:00 on Wednesday 21st May and 08:00 on Friday 23rd May 2014 can be used on any other train, operating on the same route as the original ticket from Wednesday 21st May until midnight on Friday 23rd May 2014.

Seats cannot be guaranteed during this time.

Due to expected service disruptions, the timetable cannot be guaranteed.

Groups are advised not to travel during the strike.

In the event that an overnight train in France is cancelled, passengers with tickets valid to travel on that service are instead advised to travel on a day train serving the same route as the original ticket.

Tickets must still be validated in the yellow machines at the station, prior to boarding the train.

We have not yet received information regarding which services will be affected. Please check Infolignes to find out details of specific services. We recommend that you check this before you travel to find out if / how your train is affected.

Exchanges and Refunds:

Customers due to travel in France from 20:00 on Wednesday 21st May until 08:00 on Friday 23rd May 2014 who wish to cancel their journey, can obtain a full refund before or after departure.

If passengers wish to postpone their journey for a date after the strike, this must be processed as a full refund, followed by the sale of a new ticket. Passengers will need to pay any difference in cost between the original tickets and the new tickets.

Passengers in possession of a return ticket, whose outbound journey is due to take place during the strike, can obtain a full refund on both the outbound and inbound legs of their journey.

AutoTrain:

Customers with tickets valid for their car to travel during the strike period detailed above can obtain a full refund of both the AutoTrain and passenger tickets, regardless of the after sales conditions of the tickets.

Alternatively,

Passengers can have their AutoTrain and passenger tickets exchanged free of charge for travel up to 31 May 2014. Any difference in cost between the original tickets and the new tickets will be covered by SNCF. Passengers can also have their tickets exchanged for the next available date of travel, which can be before or after the original date of travel.

Passengers can have their AutoTrain and passenger tickets exchanged free of charge for travel on or after 01 June 2014. Any difference in cost between the original tickets and the new tickets will need to be covered by the customer.

Connecting Services

We do not yet have any further information from international train carriers, including Eurostar, regarding if/how they may be affected, or what refund and exchange conditions they will be operating (if different from the original ticket terms and conditions). Again, we would recommend checking Infolignes or our Service Updates before you are due to travel. As soon as we receive anything further, we will post an update.

We will keep you updated with any further information as and when we receive it.

Please do not hesitate to contact us if you have any questions.