First planes, now trains…strike sees French rail network grind to a halt

After two days of air traffic control strikes, French rail workers are now walking off the job in protest over a reorganisation of national train companies.

The action began last night, affecting international travel, and will end tomorrow morning.

Up to 70% of train journeys will be cancelled today.

Commuter traffic around Paris will be especially hard hit, with only one in three trains guaranteed.

The strike comes as action by air traffic controllers protesting over an EU plan to simplify the continent’s patchwork airspace ends.

Thousands of flights around France were cancelled over the past two days. Traffic is returning to normal today, but travellers trying to get to or from Paris airports by train are running into the rail strike.