French rail strike experts!
 

Our long-awaited trip begins Thursday and we may encounter this dratted strike. Six of us are currently booked on TGV 5218 CDG-Bordeaux on 13 June. This particular train is already cancelled for the 11th.

What is the probability that the strike will continue into Friday?

We have a car rented and paid for via Kemwel in Bordeaux picking up Saturday. If we are not able to take the train what are our options for changing the car to pick up at CDG or thereabouts without a huge price difference?

We have nonrefundable hotel bookings in Bordeaux which I guess we will just have to eat.

Help calm my anxiety please?

Call Kemwel and see if they have any recommendations. Call the hotel as well. Also check and see whether there are trains going anywhere else nearby: Angoulème, Limoges, Brive, La Rochelle....I'm no strike expert and haven't even been following this all that closely, but in all likelihood SNCF will do its best to take care of you, get you refunds, etc.

Bonne chance!

It is an 'extendable' strike so no predictions can be made for the moment. You have to wait at least a day to see if the situation evolves.

Obviously, even "non-refundable" tickets are fully refundable and exchangeable when there is a strike.

Obviously, even "non-refundable" tickets are fully refundable and exchangeable when there is a strike.>

How can they be fully exchangeable if say most trains are cancelled and the few running are chock full - there is a difference between fully refundable and full changeable - changeable to there being a seat on another train I think.

Thanks everyone. I'll check the status tomorrow and go from there.

The unions have announced an extension of the strike through Thursday.

kerouac - Thank you for the update. I think our best bet right now is to wait until tomorrow to see what will happen Friday.

It looks like there may still be a train or 2 from Montparnasse to Bordeaux in the afternoons. Can our tickets be exchanged evenly if there are seats? Or will we have to pay the difference which is quite substantial for last minute tickets? We have PREMS tickets.

I have trains to take on both Sunday and Tuesday, so I will obviously be keeping an eye on things in the coming days.

Is there a specific time that the continuation is announced? Just wondering if I should be tomorrow morning here and then work on our solution if there is still a problem. Our flight leaves the US at Noon so I can work the phones before and again during our short layover.

They announce it on their website, this is the page for the west
http://www.infolignes.com/previsions...zoneName=Ouest

I think they usually announce it in the mid-afternoon, like 2-4 pm.

They have a twitter account https://twitter.com/SNCF_infopresse

and news on #greve

The unions were saying that they had an appointment with the minister of labour tonight, so announcements could be made at 10 pm or even midnight.

In any case, service tomorrow, even if the strike continues, will be twice as good as today.

I'd contact Kemwel right away and see if you can switch the pickup to CDG. We've rented a car from them to pick up at CDG and the prepayment does not prevent cancelling and rebooking (at least mine doesn't). I think that would be a much better than to take a chance on having to eat the cost of the hotel rooms if the strike continues.

I won't be able to sleep tonight so will just stay up and troll the internet for information!

Don't bother for another 2 or 3 hours. The unions are just beginning their government meeting right now.

We are keeping an eye on this too. Plans for Sunday involve both striking taxi and sncf Paris to Avignon. This report states trains service disruptions through Friday
http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/...0EN10O20140612