Yet again I am going to be affected by the train strikes next week in France. I’ve got a tight schedule, on May 9 from Mulhouse to Paris then the Eurostar to London. Last time I tried to travel in France, all the trains I’d reserved or planned to use were cancelled due to a strike - and now it seems that there will be a lot of disruption again. May 8th is apparently a very busy travel day if anyone else is trying to travel then!. I’m thinking that I’ll have to reschedule and go north via Germany as I have to be in the UK by May 9. Does anyone know if there will be any trains at all from Basel to Mulhouse and return? There don’t seem to be any buses that are well timed. SNCF won’t release information until the evening before which is useless! any advice would be very very welcome if anyone has experience with this issue: thanks. (am arriving in Europe on Tuesday)
May 2025 train strike in France
Best answer by Danhiel
You are right, it is a scenic route, but only between Mainz and Cologne, it means that you can also continue from Cologne to London via Brussels.
The last time I traveled on this line was on a regional train stopping at every station because I missed the Intercity. So you have to be careful if you have a important connection to London. It is difficult to find a faster alternative in case of delay.
SNCF won’t release information until the evening before which is useless!
That's not correct. It's by then their timetable will be final, but they often do change the timetables, especially for TGVs, earlier.
my understanding is that they don’t say which trains will be cancelled until after 5pm the night before. Rail Europe says that as does the SNCF website.
In your situation, I would evaluate the risk to arrive late in the UK and compare it to the cost of an Eurostar reservation from Brussels to London (unfortunately not refundable if you can travel via Paris).
It is complicated by being a National holiday in France on 8 May, if it is possible to get to Basel in Switzerland, 20/ 30 minutes and every half hour from Mulhouse on non strike days, the 0913 to Osnabruck connects into Amsterdam in time for the last Eurostar to London. Reservations are cheaper except for Eurostar that are the same. None of the countries the itinerary passes through (except Lille to the Channel Tunnel are affected by the strike).
Of course others might suggest a more effective and less time consuming route.
Why via Amsterdam? It is faster to travel via Frankfurt (Hbf or Flughafen) - ICE International - Brussels.
It's a route I know and avoids France as much as possible, having travelled it following much of the Rhine I enjoy it , I said others may suggest a more time effective route.
You are right, it is a scenic route, but only between Mainz and Cologne, it means that you can also continue from Cologne to London via Brussels.
The last time I traveled on this line was on a regional train stopping at every station because I missed the Intercity. So you have to be careful if you have a important connection to London. It is difficult to find a faster alternative in case of delay.
Thank you for these suggestions - I appreciate your help! I thought that even the Brussels connection would be affected, but hadn’t considered Amsterdam. Also, German trains are not reliable in my experience - often late if not always! I will look at that right now. Of course that will depend on Eurostar still having available seats for pass holders from Amsterdam but it is worth a try. Comptroller, I too am going to avoid France from now on - at the end of May I have a reservation for Eurostar to Paris and then TGV south to Bellegarde, but it looks as though they could well be on strike still. I will be heading for Switzerland via St Gervais and Chamonix (still in France of course) and then on to Italy, going on the Glacier/Bernina express route but on the local trains, so would you suggest going via Amsterdam then as well? It is great having a forum like this for advice and airing problems, by the way.
Sorry, but I don’t understand. This is the same line. Eurostar trains start from Amsterdam and call in Brussels, before continuing to Lille in France and London. Unless you have quotas for every station, for example if you don’t find tickets from Brussels but tickets from Amsterdam are still available for the same train, I see no advantage to travel via Amsterdam.
As rvdborgt suggested, check the SNCF website: some TGVs are currently "not bookable". These will be cancelled. The others are likely to run, I wouldn't worry too much.
There will always be options (either direct or via Strasbourg), it isn't like the country will be at a standstill.
Which trains are you booked on right now?
I am going to change my route, to avoid Paris, as I have to be in the UK that day. A friend asked at Gare du Nord and was told not to expect many trains that day (9 May). But I’ve learnt that even when the trains show on the SNCF website now, they do get cancelled later on and I can’t risk that due to ongoing travel plans. But thank you for all the help. I wonder how many other pass holders are affected….
I wonder how many other pass holders are affected….
But you are lucky to have a global pass, you can choose another route, it is not possible with regular tickets. Pass holders are probably less affected than other travelers, if alternatives are available, of course.
I would ask the Eurail customer service. They could probably add a day to your pass if you explain this case and attach the old and new reservations (without guarantee).
Thank you for that suggestion, Danhiel. Will do that, can’t lose by trying! after all my meticulous planning, too…. .
Thank you for these suggestions - I appreciate your help! I thought that even the Brussels connection would be affected, but hadn’t considered Amsterdam. Also, German trains are not reliable in my experience - often late if not always! I will look at that right now. Of course that will depend on Eurostar still having available seats for pass holders from Amsterdam but it is worth a try. Comptroller, I too am going to avoid France from now on - at the end of May I have a reservation for Eurostar to Paris and then TGV south to Bellegarde, but it looks as though they could well be on strike still. I will be heading for Switzerland via St Gervais and Chamonix (still in France of course) and then on to Italy, going on the Glacier/Bernina express route but on the local trains, so would you suggest going via Amsterdam then as well? It is great having a forum like this for advice and airing problems, by the way.
You can avoid France altogether by travelling by ferry fron Harwich to Hook of Hollamd (twice a day fares on day sailing 85€ before 30% Interrail discount) them there are several options to get direct/by connection to Switzerland for day trains from Amsterdam Rotterdam or Brussels or night trains from at least Amsterdam.
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