France: Normandy Trains Cut October 9–10, and Unions Set a National Strike Day for November 5

October 7, 2026 — Update to our October 6 story. SNCF is warning of strike disruption on its Normandy lines out of Paris on Friday and Saturday. France’s five main unions have called a national strike and protest day for Thursday, November 5. The aircrew strike notice for October 17–21 is still in force.

Normandy trains, October 9 and 10

Lines disrupted: Paris–Rouen–Le Havre, Paris–Caen–Cherbourg, Paris–Lisieux–Trouville/Deauville, Paris–Vernon–Rouen and Paris–Évreux–Serquigny. SNCF’s regional page says most other Normandy lines are normal.
Friday cancellations, Paris–Cherbourg: From Paris Saint-Lazare at 8:59 am, 9:59 am and 5:59 pm. From Cherbourg at 7:20 am, 8:51 am, 11:47 am, 2:44 pm and 5:55 pm.
Saturday: Details are pending (TBA).
Who called it: Not confirmed. We found no nationwide SNCF strike on October 9, so treat this as regional.
Tickets: SNCF says special exchange and refund terms apply. Train lists are confirmed from 5 pm the evening before.

Dates ahead

Date	Action	Transport impact
Oct 9–10	SNCF Normandy strike	Five Paris–Normandy lines disrupted
Oct 17 (12:01 am) – Oct 21 (11:59 pm)	Pilots and cabin crew, French airlines	Cancellation lists TBA
Thu, Nov 5	National strike and protest day, five unions	SNCF, Paris transit and air traffic control notices TBA

Aircrew notice, October 17–21

The notice covers flight and cabin crew at French-registered airlines. It was filed by five unions, including the pilots’ union SNPL.
The government has offered concessions on pension rules, trade publication TourMaG reports. The unions acknowledge progress but will keep the notice until the guarantees are in law. A decree is promised by mid-October.
No airline has published cancellations yet.

Protests

Tuesday’s student and education marches drew about 250,000 people, according to authorities, with clashes in Paris, Marseille, Nantes, Lyon, Strasbourg and Rennes.
The prime minister suspended high-school classes nationwide for the rest of the week. No effect on transport or airports was reported.
The November 5 day was called by the CFDT, CGT, FO, UNSA and FSU over pay, jobs and the 2027 budget.

What it means for travelers

Heading to Normandy this weekend? Check your train from 5 pm the day before. For the D-Day beaches or Mont-Saint-Michel, a rental car is the fallback.
October 17–21: If you plan to fly on a French airline, watch for cancellation lists. The dates open the autumn school holidays, when flights are already full.
November 5: Avoid tight plans in France that day. National strike days often hit trains to the Paris airports. Notices are due closer to the date.
In city centres, stay away from demonstrations. Police have used tear gas this week.