For those who aren't lucky enough to enjoy winter or spring holidays, the wait is starting to feel a bit long in the capital. Luckily for our spirits (though a little less for our wallets), the May holidays are just around the corner, ready to bring a little joy to our hearts. Unless you had plans to head to the Southeast for May 1st, in which case you might want to reconsider your plans.
This station completely closed for 3 days
This year, thank goodness, the May holidays are giving us a few long weekends. Thanks to Ascension Thursday, just like every year, and also because in 2026, May 1st and 8th fall on Fridays, which is always a nice treat. Unfortunately, as you make your future plans, you'll need to keep in mind some very important news.
On May 1st, you'll need to do without the Gare de Lyon.
Indeed, the SNCF has recently announced that the station will be completely inaccessible from Thursday, April 30th at 8:30 PM until Sunday, May 3rd at 2 PM. During this time, there will be no departures or arrivals in the 12th district. The reason? Modernization work to replace two strategic signal boxes. This operation will have 500 technicians on site for 72 hours!
Backup Solutions
In practice, this closure will affect all TGVs leaving from and going to the Gare de Lyon, as well as the RER D and the R line of the Transilien. However, for the mainline trains, the SNCF has announced it will maintain at least 60% of services over the weekend.
To achieve this, a certain nThe 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. Well, if it’s Austerlitz or Montparnasse, that’s manageable. But for some, you’ll need to head to Charles de Gaulle Airport or Massy-Palaiseau. And that’s definitely less fun. So we recommend you to reschedule your weekend in Marseille and Lyon or to plan ahead!