A national rail strike has been called for mid-January, and it could seriously disrupt travel across France just as people return to work after the holidays. While negotiations are still under way, the scale of the unions’ demands suggests a hard line, and passengers are being urged to plan ahead.
What is happening on 13 January?
The rail union SUD-Rail has filed a nationwide strike notice for Tuesday, 13 January 2026. The call targets train drivers and on-board conductors, two categories of staff that are critical to running services.
The walkout is expected to affect the entire French rail network operated by SNCF, including high-speed TGV routes, Intercités long-distance trains, regional TER services and Paris-area Transilien lines. Even a partial participation rate from drivers would be enough to reduce traffic heavily.
The 13 January strike notice covers the whole French rail system and focuses on drivers and conductors, the backbone of train operations.
This strike is directly linked to the company’s annual wage talks, known in France as “NAO” (négociations annuelles obligatoires). These talks are a recurring flashpoint between management and unions, since they set the framework for pay rises and several working conditions for the year ahead.
Why are rail workers threatening to stop trains?
For SUD-Rail, the dispute is mainly about pay and purchasing power. The union is calling for a general monthly salary increase of €400 for all railway staff. Its leaders argue that years of modest rises, combined with inflation, have eroded real wages for many workers.
The union claims this flat €400 rise is financially achievable for SNCF, even though internal estimates put the cost at about €1.2 billion a year. The union’s argument is that the national rail operator, backed by the state, has the means to prioritise wage policy after several years of strong traffic recovery.
SUD-Rail also wants the introduction of a thirteenth month of pay for all employees. This would effectively add an extra full month’s salary each year, a measure already present in some French sectors and sometimes granted through company-level agreements.
The union is pushing for a €400 monthly raise for every rail worker and a thirteenth month of pay to restore purchasing power.
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A key point in the union’s platform is how any pay rise is calculated. It favours uniform flat-rate increases instead of percentage-based rises tied to inflation. The argument is simple: a fixed amount gives more of a boost to lower-paid staff, while pure percentage increases tend to widen gaps between the top and bottom of the wage scale.
What is SNCF’s position?
SNCF’s management, led by former prime minister Jean Castex, has tried to show good will in recent months. Staff received a one-off €400 bonus at the end of the year, and some existing social agreements have been extended.
These measures are presented internally as signals that the company recognises the pressure on employees. Yet SUD-Rail, and several other unions, see them as short-term gestures rather than a structured pay policy. They argue that a bonus does not count towards future pension rights and does not permanently raise base salaries.
For the moment, management has not publicly committed to the scale of increases demanded. Negotiations are expected to intensify as 13 January approaches, which raises the prospect of last-minute deals or partial suspensions of the strike notice.
How badly will trains be disrupted?
No detailed timetable for disruption will be known until shortly before the strike. By law, SNCF usually publishes traffic forecasts the day before, often in the afternoon, once it has a clearer idea of how many staff plan to take part.
Still, several trends are already likely:
- TGV and Intercités: these flagship long-distance services should see a large number of cancellations or reduced frequencies.
- TER regional trains:
Originally posted 2026-03-05 01:48:50.