Why did the SNCF decide to close the Paris-Lyon TGV line for work, in the middle of the weekend of November 11?

“It’s incomprehensible.” Although Laura turns the problem in all directions, she cannot understand why the SNCF doing major work on the Paris-Lyon TGV line the weekend of November 11. It was precisely on these dates, taking advantage of the public holidays, that the 25-year-old young woman hoped to join her family in Nice to celebrate her mother’s 50th birthday , born on the 10th, celebrated a ticket on Friday night – “which still costs 100 euros with the youth card” -, found herself without a solution to return to Paris on Monday and had to resolve, reluctantly, to take a plane. “Why close such an important road on a public holiday weekend? Why not next week? she wonders, like many other travelers.

This was a complete disruption of rail traffic “Years ahead in planning”, responding to the SNCF Réseaux group, to which he added Salvation. To equip the link with a new signaling system, work has been going on for five years, at night. To complete the complete restoration of the device, the company ensures that it must “four days break” of the TGV line. Against all odds, this “November 11th Long Weekend” represented by SNCF Réseaux “the place with the least impact on passengers” because the company says they looked “drop in presence” on long weekends including public holidays. Syears to be able to support this application with calculated data from Salvation. For the SNCF, these few working days are therefore similar “an almost invisible activity for passengers”.

“You can’t make an omelet without breaking eggs”

The SNCF Réseaux group ensures that they have nevertheless done everything to limit the effects on passengers. The trains were never sold and an information banner appeared on the request and on the SNCF website from the beginning of the year. The classic TER lines, which are maintained, act as plan B for users – although it should be noted that journey times will be doubled. From the capital, it takes 4.5 hours to go to Lyon instead of two hours, 7.30 hours to Marseille compared to three hours. The trains will not go beyond Toulon and Montpellier Saint-Roch, so they will not serve Nice or Perpignan. Connections outside the region will also not be ensured: Nantes-Lyon, Lyon-Rennes, Le Havre-Marseille or even Lille-Marseille will not run during these four days.

The SNCF, for its part, says that they reserved departure on Friday, November 8, by not starting the work until the next day. But it seems that they forgot the results, because all this turmoil is not expected until Wednesday, November 13 in the morning. “You can’t make an omelet without breaking eggs, justifying the railway company. There is real benefit behind all of this. By 2030, we will have 16 TGVs per hour and in each direction compared to just 13 today. That’s what asking for more trains and improving the railways is all about.

These arguments go down badly with the National Federation of Transport Users Associations (Fnaut). “It is wrong to say that there is no impact on customers. From a consumer perspective, long weekends represent peaks in attendance on Friday afternoon and Saturday morning, as well as Monday afternoon, to return to work on Tuesday. insulting Gérald Petitgand, president of the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes branch of the Federation. “But their choice also punishes people who go to work, because the work lasts until Tuesday night!” looking after Laura, who had taken the day off on Tuesday.

“Same prices as TGV, for twice as long journey time”

“I could only return by train from Nice by choosing an 11-hour journey with several connections and paying 105 euros, a higher rate than usual,” measuring the young woman. “The cost warns us, because we should not pay the same prices as TGV, for twice as long travel time,” said Gérald Petitgand who is afraid “corrupted customer experience”.

“This work is essential,” the advocate readily agrees. “I understand the choice to do them in a “big bang” mode rather than spreading them over several nights for months. The problem is the choice of date and the general lack of communication. Gérald Petitgand regrets it. This is not the first time that the railway company has chosen to paralyze the network over a long weekend. Last March, it was impossible to reach Toulouse from Paris on the Easter weekend. The Bordeaux-Toulouse line was closed for rail improvement works and switchgear upgrades. The SNCF also wanted to be prepared to carry out this task “In the Depths of the Weekend”and not in the middle of the week. Even if it means sacrificing a few minutes of assembly.