SNCF strike on 5 November: trains disrupted, Paris metro expected to run normally. Why the detailed timetable only comes out the evening before, and what a passenger is owed if a train is cancelled

What has been announced

All four representative SNCF unions — CGT, Unsa ferroviaire, Sud Rail and CFDT — are calling rail staff out on a 24-hour strike on Thursday 5 November. Their demand is a pay catch-up with inflation. The same day, France also has a cross-sector strike with demonstrations.

On Tuesday 3 November SNCF gave a general outlook (reported by franceinfo, citing AFP):

• TGV: minor disruption;
• Intercités and TER: disruption;
• Transilien trains and RER in Île-de-France: disruption;
• TGV and Intercités passengers whose train is cancelled will be contacted, and can exchange or refund their ticket free of charge.

In Paris, RATP expects metro, tram and bus to run normally. RER A should run to timetable; RER B, which RATP operates jointly with SNCF, will be disrupted. RATP says that if the police prefecture asks for stations to be closed because of demonstrations, trains will keep running. On earlier Saturdays with protests, dozens of Paris metro stations were closed.

SNCF said its line-by-line plan would be published late on Wednesday 4 November; RATP will also publish its details on Wednesday.

Why the precise plan only appears the day before

This is not sloppiness: it is the procedure set by Law no. 2007-1224 of 21 August 2007 on regular land passenger transport. As the transport ministry summarised it in an answer to a senator (JO Sénat, 24 November 2022):

1. Before a strike, negotiation between unions and employer is mandatory, and the strike notice (préavis) is filed five days ahead.
2. Staff whose presence directly determines the service must tell their employer they will strike at least 48 hours in advance, and must give at least 24 hours' notice if they withdraw or return to work.
3. The operator agrees a plan de transport adapté with the transport authority beforehand, setting priority routes and service levels.
4. Passengers must receive free, accurate and reliable information about the service no later than 24 hours before the disruption starts.

Hence a rule of thumb for any French transport strike: two or three days out you only get the general tone ("disrupted", "slightly disrupted"); the line-by-line timetable arrives the evening before. Check it in the operator's app or website that evening and again in the morning before leaving. "Normal service" on one line says nothing about the next one: in Île-de-France, RER A and RER B can have very different days.

If your train is cancelled or badly delayed

Under EU rail passenger rules (Your Europe, last checked 15 September 2026), when a train is cancelled or delayed by more than an hour, the passenger chooses between:

• a refund of the ticket (with a return to the starting point if needed, when the trip no longer makes sense);
• or travelling on another train at no extra cost, straight away or on a later date of their choice.

For an arrival delay of 1–2 hours, compensation is 25% of the ticket price; beyond 2 hours, 50%. One key detail: a strike by the rail company's own staff is not an "extraordinary circumstance" that would exempt it from paying compensation.

Service-public.gouv.fr (note of 25 July 2025) adds that refunds must be paid within one month of the request, which can be made on the booking website, by calling 36 35 (TGV INOUI and Intercités) or at a ticket office. Since 1 January 2025 these rules also cover tickets with a connection to a regional TER. There is no compensation if the delay was announced before the ticket was bought.

If a passenger simply decides not to travel and the train is not cancelled, the EU rules do not apply: any refund depends on the fare conditions. So a common mistake is cancelling "just in case" before the plan is out — if the train is later cancelled, exchange and refund would have been free.

In short: what to do

• Make sure your booking has your phone number or e-mail: SNCF says it will contact passengers of cancelled TGV and Intercités trains.
• On the evening of 4 November, check your train or line; check again on the morning of the 5th.
• Cancelled: ask for a refund or another train. Delayed an hour or more: keep the ticket and file a compensation claim.
• In Paris, RATP expects the metro to run, but individual stations near the demonstration route may be closed.

We have covered separately what a salarié's rights are on a strike day and what happens at schools.

At the time of writing, no further strike dates after 5 November had been announced.