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Holiday departures from Paris: train strike and heavy traffic on roads this weekend

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The Editor

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Here's some news that could spell trouble for several of you. The SNCF has just announced an "unexpected strike action" on routes between the capital and the Normandy region, affecting the circulation of numerous Nomad trains (the commuter rail network operating on these lines).

This weekend, we're officially kicking off the second half of the school holidays. The perfect time for many to start their well-deserved time off. Watch out though, depending on your destination, you might face a few obstacles reaching your goal. Indeed, SNCF has announced a strike on one of these popular routes, from Friday, July 31st to Sunday, August 2nd.


Empty tracks

To be precise, no fewer than 5 lines are affected by this strike: the routes « Paris-Caen-Cherbourg », « Paris-Rouen-Le Havre » and « Paris-Trouville-Deauville » for Nomad Résa trains, and the lines « Rouen-Vernon-Paris » and « Caen-Bernay-Évreux-Paris

>» for the classic Nomad network, in both directions of traffic each time of course. Fact sheets with the new schedules will be available throughout the weekend on the SNCF website and app.

Every day, information for the next day will be available from 5pm, to help you plan as far ahead as possible (note the slightly sarcastic tone of that remark). For its part, SNCF recommends shifting your trips if possible, and has already put in place specific measures to make exchanging and refunding tickets easier. Be careful though, you must complete these steps before your original train departs.


Roads packed full

And because good news never comes alone — yes, more sarcasm — not only will it be complicated getting to Normandy by train this weekend, but it's likely to be just as difficult on the roads. In

Indeed, Bison Futé is announcing nothing less than a black day on the A13 between Paris and the north, in the outbound direction, this Saturday, August 1st. Traffic jams that will start as early as this afternoon. Rest assured though, it's likely to be just as complicated for people heading back, and on top of that, they have to return to the office Monday!