- Title: Travellers face delay as France's transport strike surges through Christmas
- Date: 21st December 2019
- Summary: PARIS, FRANCE (DECEMBER 21, 2019) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF TRAVELLERS WALKING ON PLATFORM WITH LUGGAGE AT SAINT LAZARE TRAIN STATION SCREEN ANNOUNCING TRAIN DISRUPTIONS AMID PENSION REFORM STRIKE TRAVELLERS WAITING IN FRONT OF SCHEDULE BOARDS NORWAY COUPLE VISITING FAMILY IN FRANCE FOR HOLIDAYS, SYLVAIN DE PIERREPONT AND CATHY WALTERS, WAITING WITH CHILDREN CHILDREN SCHEDULE BOARD DE PIERREPONT, WALTERS AND CHILDREN WAITING (SOUNDBITE) (English) NORWAY RESIDENT VISITING FAMILY IN NORMANDY FOR HOLIDAYS, SYLVAIN DE PIERREPONT, SAYING: "It's a bit stressful because we don't know if the train will be running or not, except that we live in Norway, so...." (SOUNDBITE) (English) NORWAY RESIDENT VISITING FAMILY IN NORMANDY FOR HOLIDAYS, CATHY WALTERS, SAYING: "Yes, because we have another journey on the 28th (of December), so I think we're quite worried. We're doing OK today, but we don't know what's going to happen then. So that's quite stressful coming back." DE PIERREPONT, WALTERS AND CHILDREN WALKING TOWARDS PLATFORM, SAYING GOODBYE / CROWD WALKING TOWARDS PLATFORM CROWD WAITING TO PASS THROUGH PLATFORM GATES SCREEN ANNOUNCING 8:59 A.M. TRAIN FOR CHERBOURG TRAVELLERS PASSING THROUGH GATES TRAVELLERS WALKING ON PLATFORM VARIOUS OF TRAIN DEPARTING VILLEMOMBLE RESIDENT TRAVELLING TO CAEN FOR HOLIDAYS, AURELIE LECERF, AND FAMILY TALKING TO JOURNALIST (SOUNDBITE) (French) VILLEMOMBLE RESIDENT TRAVELLING TO CAEN FOR HOLIDAYS, AURELIE LECERF, SAYING: "And then people bump into you. They become aggressive and they're all stressed." PARIS RESIDENT, THIFFAINE LEVILLY, LOOKING AT PHONE WHILE WAITING FOR TRAIN (SOUNDBITE) (French) PARIS RESIDENT TRAVELLING TO NORMANDY FOR HOLIDAYS, THIFFAINE LEVILLY, SAYING: "Unfortunately, I missed my bus, I have to admit that coming to Saint Lazare station, I was in a state of panic. I was scared that I couldn't catch a train since many (trains) have been cancelled in the last minute. Often, we're not really aware, and the information on this is very vague. And so, it's really worrying me." LEVILLY WAITING (SOUNDBITE) (French) PARIS RESIDENT TRAVELLING TO NORMANDY FOR HOLIDAYS, THIFFAINE LEVILLY, SAYING: "I'm happy (to go home). I live in the countryside. There aren't any metros, nothing like that, but we don't have stress either. That's a good thing, and it would do me some good to see the family and spend Christmas and the holidays. I'm excited." LEVILLY WAITING SIGN AT STATION READING (French): "THE (SNCF) ASSISTANT WILL GUIDE YOU DURING THE STRIKES" VARIOUS OF RAIL WORKERS AT STATION SAINT LAZARE STATION
- Embargoed: 4th January 2020 10:04
- Keywords: Christmas France strike delays holidays pension reform train disruptions travellers vacation
- Location: PARIS, FRANCE
- City: PARIS, FRANCE
- Country: France
- Topics: Lawmaking,Government/Politics
- Reuters ID: LVA001BAX4HTZ
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text:Travellers faced stress at Paris' train stations on Saturday (December 21) amid a massive transport strike, as a dispute between unions and the government over France's pension reform remains in a deadlock.
At the Saint Lazare train station, travellers stared anxiously at schedule boards showing sparse trains and delays on the last weekend before Christmas, which usually sees a huge flux of people leaving the French capital to rejoin their families.
Norway residents Sylvain de Pierrepont and Cathy Walters, who were en route to Normandy with their two children to visit their family, stood patiently at the waiting area as their train was announced to be delayed.
"It's a bit stressful because we don't know if the train will be running or not," de Pierrepont said.
Two weeks of nationwide industrial action in France have disrupted railways and roads, shut some schools and brought more than half a million people onto the streets to protest against President Emmanuel Macron's wide-ranging reform plan.
Macron aims to streamline the generous state pension system and prod people to work until the age of 64, past the legal retirement age of 62.
French unions had said on Thursday (December 19) that the strikes that have crippled the transport system will continue over the Christmas holidays after talks with the government failed to break the deadlock over the planned overhaul of the pension system.
As the strikes left half of Paris' 16 metro lines completely shut, while 50 percent of all long-distance trains were cancelled, some travellers could feel the pressure and the fatigue at the station.
"People bump into you. They become aggressive and they're all stressed," said Aurelie Lecerf, who would spend a total of six hours to get to the northern French city of Caen from the Paris suburbs - usually a three-hour journey.
But some have decided to look at the bright side. Parisian Thiffaine Levilly, who was "in a state of panic" upon missing her bus to Normandy, was happy to be able to catch a train back home for the holidays.
"I live in the countryside. There aren't any metros, nothing like that, but we don't have stress either," she said. "That's a good thing, and it would do me some good."
(Production: Thierry Chiarello, Ardee Napolitano) - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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