The Sud-Rail union, France’s third-largest rail workers’ organisation, has filed a strike notice covering Friday 20 to Sunday 22 February – the first weekend of Zone C’s school winter break when thousands leave Paris for Alpine ski resorts and the south-east.
The action targets SNCF main-line conductors based in the Île-de-France region, with management described by the union as “aggressive” in on-board staffing negotiations. While the walk-out does not affect RER, Transilien commuter services or the Paris metro, it is expected to hit departures from Gare de Lyon towards Lyon, Valence, Grenoble and the Italian border, routes heavily used by holidaymakers and corporate skiers alike.
![Sud-Rail Calls Paris-Area Train Conductors’ Strike Over Holiday Getaway Weekend]()
For visitors planning Alpine getaways or business meetings in the Rhône Valley, ensuring travel documents are in order is just as crucial as checking the rail timetable. VisaHQ’s France portal (https://www.visahq.com/france/) streamlines the application process for tourist and business visas, providing up-to-date requirements, digital forms and courier options that can save precious time when strikes force last-minute itinerary changes.
SNCF says an amended timetable will be published 48 hours in advance and predicts “limited impact”, but past conductor stoppages have cut long-distance capacity by up to 30 %. Business travellers heading to conferences in the Alps or site visits in the Rhône Valley should consider rescheduling or booking alternative flights via Lyon Saint-Exupéry. Employers remain obliged under French labour law to reimburse staff forced to buy last-minute tickets when industrial action disrupts pre-booked trains.
The strike is another reminder that France’s rail industrial relations remain volatile despite 2025’s wage deal. With the Paris 2026 Olympic year looming, mobility teams should diversify travel options, monitor strike filings (required 48 hours ahead in the passenger-transport sector) and keep contingency budgets for taxis or rental cars during peak holiday periods.
The action targets SNCF main-line conductors based in the Île-de-France region, with management described by the union as “aggressive” in on-board staffing negotiations. While the walk-out does not affect RER, Transilien commuter services or the Paris metro, it is expected to hit departures from Gare de Lyon towards Lyon, Valence, Grenoble and the Italian border, routes heavily used by holidaymakers and corporate skiers alike.
For visitors planning Alpine getaways or business meetings in the Rhône Valley, ensuring travel documents are in order is just as crucial as checking the rail timetable. VisaHQ’s France portal (https://www.visahq.com/france/) streamlines the application process for tourist and business visas, providing up-to-date requirements, digital forms and courier options that can save precious time when strikes force last-minute itinerary changes.
SNCF says an amended timetable will be published 48 hours in advance and predicts “limited impact”, but past conductor stoppages have cut long-distance capacity by up to 30 %. Business travellers heading to conferences in the Alps or site visits in the Rhône Valley should consider rescheduling or booking alternative flights via Lyon Saint-Exupéry. Employers remain obliged under French labour law to reimburse staff forced to buy last-minute tickets when industrial action disrupts pre-booked trains.
The strike is another reminder that France’s rail industrial relations remain volatile despite 2025’s wage deal. With the Paris 2026 Olympic year looming, mobility teams should diversify travel options, monitor strike filings (required 48 hours ahead in the passenger-transport sector) and keep contingency budgets for taxis or rental cars during peak holiday periods.
