Update to our earlier France coverage: what is new is SNCF’s final service outlook for strike day, confirmation from France’s civil aviation authority that it did not ask airlines to cut flights, Eurostar cancellations, and an updated Canadian travel advisory.
November 5, 2026 — France’s nationwide multi-sector strike is under way today. High-speed trains are mostly running, but regional trains and several Paris-area RER and Transilien lines are running reduced timetables. Flights were not cut by order of the authorities, and the Paris metro is expected to run normally.
Trains: what SNCF expected for Thursday
- TGV INOUI and OUIGO: at least nine trains in ten, according to Echos Plus, citing SNCF’s forecast published the morning of the strike.
- Intercités: disrupted. No percentages were published in the sources we read.
- TER regional trains: heavily disrupted in Brittany and Hauts-de-France, with significant problems on some lines in Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes and Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur. Other regions are running adjusted timetables.
- Friday, November 6: some trains in Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes are adjusted on Friday morning. We found no report that the wider strike continues into Friday.
- Eurostar: Travel Monitor reports that Eurostar cancelled trains 9004, 9015 and 9052 today.
Paris region
| Line | Expected service on Thu, Nov. 5 |
|---|---|
| RER B north (Gare du Nord to CDG Airport and Mitry-Claye) | About 1 train in 2 |
| RER B south (to Saint-Rémy-lès-Chevreuse and Robinson) | About 2 trains in 3 |
| RER D | Heavily disrupted |
| RER C and E | Disrupted (TourMaG: about 1 in 2 on RER C) |
| Transilien H, J, L, N, R and U | Disrupted |
| RER A, Transilien K and V | Normal |
| Paris metro, bus and tram (RATP) | Normal |
Outside Paris, TourMaG reported that a CGT strike at Marseille’s RTM transit network would leave the metro lightly disrupted, with about 70% of tram service and 50% of bus service.
Flights
Several unions called staff of France’s civil aviation authority (DGAC) to strike today. However, TourMaG reported on the evening of November 4 that the DGAC said it had not asked airlines to change their flight schedules for strike day. No airport-by-airport flight cuts were ordered. Local delays are still possible.
Advisories
Canada updated its France travel advice on November 5. The overall level shown is “Exercise a high degree of caution.” The U.S. Embassy in Paris issued a security alert on November 4 warning of the strike, continuing protests, and local curfews that can be imposed at short notice.
The strike was called by the CFDT, CGT, FO, UNSA and FSU union confederations over wages, pensions, the minimum wage and public services. The four main rail unions (CGT-Cheminots, UNSA-Ferroviaire, SUD-Rail and CFDT-Cheminots) joined the call. No further national strike dates were announced in the sources we read.
What it means for travelers
- Landing at Charles de Gaulle today? Expect only about half the usual RER B trains into Paris. Allow extra time, or use a taxi, ride-share or airport bus.
- Connecting onward by TGV should work for most travelers, but check your specific train on SNCF Connect before you leave the airport. Regional TER connections, especially in Brittany and northern France, are much less reliable.
- If you are taking Eurostar to or from London, check whether your train is still running before you book a flight into Paris.
- No flight cuts were ordered, but with some passengers switching from trains to planes, seats on domestic flights may be tighter than usual. Have a backup plan.
- Stay away from marches and rallies, follow any curfew notices from the city hall (mairie) or prefecture, and carry ID.
- SNCF says customers on cancelled TGV and Intercités trains can exchange or get a refund at no cost.
- Enroll in STEP (U.S. citizens) or Registration of Canadians Abroad. Strikes announced before you bought travel insurance are often excluded from cover.
Sources
- Echos Plus: Grève SNCF du 5 novembre : au moins neuf TGV sur dix, les TER et les RER davantage perturbés (Nov. 5, 2026)
- TourMaG: Grève 5 novembre : SNCF, aérien, RATP… quelles perturbations dans les transports ? (updated Nov. 4, 2026)
- Travel Monitor: Daily Watch List: what is affecting travel today – 5 November 2026 (Nov. 5, 2026)
- Government of Canada: Travel advice and advisories: France (updated Nov. 5, 2026)
- U.S. Embassy & Consulates in France: Security Alert – U.S. Embassy Paris, France (Nov. 4, 2026)
- SNCF Connect: Official train information
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