Strike of January 31: trains, metros, planes... Forecasts in the transport sector

Romain Rouillard with AFP 3:48 p.m., January 30, 2023

New delicate day in anticipation in transport this Tuesday, January 31.

To express its opposition to the pension reform, the inter-union called for a new day of strike and mobilization which will cause disruption on the rails but also in the air.

In Île-de-France, some metro lines will partially operate and the traffic of TER, TGV and Intercités to SNCF promises to be greatly reduced.

Europe 1 takes stock. 

At the RATP, a partial service on the metro 

Traffic forecasts in the Paris region are generally similar to those of January 19, the date of the first day of interprofessional mobilization.

Thus, on the metro side, only lines 1 and 14, fully automated, will operate normally "with risks of saturation", specifies the RATP.

For the rest, many disturbances are to be expected.

On line 4, only 1 metro out of 2 will run during peak hours and 1 out of 4 during off-peak hours.

[#MouvementSocial] Following a notice calling for an interprofessional strike day on Tuesday January 31, the #RATP expects very disrupted traffic on the RER and Metro networks and slightly disrupted on the surface network (Bus and Tramway) ⤵️ pic.twitter.com/PNc89lCAQm

— RATP Group (@RATPgroup) January 29, 2023

For lines 3, 5, 6, 7, 7bis, 8, 11, 12 and 13, the service will only be partially provided.

The journeys will not be fully completed and the metros will only run during peak hours.

Small particularity for line 10 which will only operate in the morning.

Finally, line 2 will display a frequency of one train out of two but the service will end at 8 p.m. 

>>

- "RATP Quality", the twitter account that makes fun of the delays of the Paris metro

Regarding the RER, 1 train out of 2 is scheduled on the RER A at peak times and 1 train out of 4 at off-peak hours.

The interconnection at Nanterre-Préfecture station nevertheless remains maintained.

On line B, it will be necessary to plan 1 train out of 2 at peak times and 1 train out of 3 at off-peak hours and it will be necessary to change trains at Gare du Nord to continue towards the north or the south.

The only good news: 8 out of 10 buses and 8 out of 10 trams will run normally on the network. 

At the SNCF, highly disrupted traffic on the RER and TER, a little less on the TGV

The most spectacular disruptions - on the SNCF side - will occur on the TER, Transiliens and RER lines it operates.

Thus, only 1 in 10 trains will run on RER C and D lines, which will be partially closed.

Same thing on the RER E and lines J, L, N, P and R of the Transilien.

Less difficulty on the other hand on lines H, U and K with one train out of 3 in anticipation. 

ℹ️ Tuesday, Jan. 31, 2023, traffic will be severely disrupted on all of our lines: TRANSILIEN, TER, TGV (INOUI, OUIGO, international), INTERCITES.

If possible, we recommend that you cancel or postpone your planned trips for this day and favor teleworking.

1/2

– SNCF Voyageurs (@SNCFVoyageurs) January 29, 2023

On the main line train front, only 2 out of 10 TER will operate on average in the territory.

A transport plan will be communicated later by the SNCF in each of the regions.

On the TGVs, the SNCF expects to see one train in three on average: two TGVs out of five on the North axis, one in two in the East as in the South-East, one in four on the arc Atlantic and two out of five for its Ouigo.

On province-to-province lines, only one in three trains will run.

>>

- Strike: why the 2007 minimum service law does not work properly?

Intercity traffic will also be "very severely disrupted": no train will run except for a round trip on the Paris-Clermont-Ferrand, Paris-Limoges-Toulouse and Bordeaux-Marseille routes.

Night trains will be completely interrupted on the nights of Monday to Tuesday and Tuesday to Wednesday.

On the international side, the trains will experience various fates: the circulation of Eurostar and Thalys will operate almost normally but the traffic of the TGV will be "severely disrupted" between France and Switzerland (Lyria).

And in the air? 

The USAC-CGT, the union which represents the agents of the General Directorate of Civil Aviation has filed a strike notice for this Tuesday, January 31.

This Monday, Air France announced the cancellation of 1 in 10 flights, except for long haul flights. 

⚠️National strike movement Tuesday, January 31:

✈️Delays and cancellations of certain flights at Paris-#Orly ➡️ contact your airline to find out about your flight.

Public transport severely disrupted ➡️ your alternatives: https://t.co/gwYFdU3sPQ

— Paris Airport (@ParisAeroport) January 29, 2023

Responding to "the request of the General Directorate of Civil Aviation (DGAC) made to all airlines to reduce their flight schedule to and from Paris Orly by 20%, Air France plans to ensure for this day the all of its long-haul flights" and "90% of its short and medium-haul flights," the company told AFP.

Note that Charles-de-Gaulle airport will not be affected even if delays and disruptions remain possible.