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This huge Parisian station was closed all weekend

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The Editor

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It may seem far away, but the May holidays are fast approaching, and it's high time to plan your getaways away from Paris. However, there's some bad news: for Labor Day, you won't be able to count on this major train station in the capital, which means a whole bunch of destinations are off the table.

While the holiday season has been over for almost 2 months, and winter doesn't seem to want to end, time is starting to feel long in the capital. Thankfully for our spirits (but a bit less for our wallets), the bridges for Easter and May are just around the corner, ready to bring a little cheer. Unless you had plans to head to the South-East for May 1st, in which case you might need to revise your plans.


A completely closed train station for 3 days

This year, bless us, the public holidays in May give us a number of bridges. Already thanks to Ascension Thursday, as every year, but also because in this year 2026 both May 1st and May 8th fall on Fridays, and that’s always nice to hear. Unfortunately, when making your future plans, you'll need to take into account some closures.

Important news! On May 1st, you will need to do without the Gare de Lyon.

In fact, the SNCF recently announced that it will be completely shut down from Thursday, April 30 at 8:30 PM until Sunday, May 3 at 2 PM. During this entire period, there will be no departures or arrivals in the 12th district. The reason? Modernization work to replace two strategic signaling posts. This operation will involve no less than 500 technicians working over 72 hours.


Alternative solutions

In reality, this closure will affect all TGVs departing from and arriving at the Gare de Lyon, as well as the RER D and the Transilien line R. However, for intercity trains, the SNCF has announced it will maintain at least 60% of the service.on the weekend. To accommodate this, a number of trains from French, Italian, and Spanish railway companies that usually serve the station will be redirected to other Parisian arrival and departure points. And well, if it’s Austerlitz or Montparnasse, that's fine. But for some, it’ll be necessary to aim for Charles de Gaulle Airport or Massy-Palaiseau. And that’s a lot less fun. We advise you to postpone your weekend to Marseille and Lyon, or plan ahead!