New train line, Dover ferries, busy roads: Nine France travel updates

Fête nationale vacation causes congestion throughout France 

Yesterday’s Fête nationale public vacation (July 14) has given many individuals in France the chance to faire le pont to the weekend and take immediately (July 15) off and revel in lengthy weekend breaks away. 

Consequently, visitors forecasting service Bison Futé has warned of heavy visitors lasting till Sunday. 

Immediately, visitors situations might be “tough” throughout the entire nation when it comes to departures from city centres, and “very tough” within the south east. 

Saturday is anticipated to be “very tough” when it comes to departures and “tough” when it comes to return journeys. 

On Sunday, the visitors will shift in the direction of these getting back from weekend breaks, changing into “very tough” when it comes to return journeys. It’ll nonetheless, nevertheless, be “tough” for individuals departing from city centres. 

Site visitors situations ought to return to regular on Monday (July 18).

Port of Dover implements new measures to cut back summer season delays

The Port of Dover has mentioned that it’s working to broaden its border controls and streamline visitors techniques forward of the beginning of the UK summer season holidays. 

For instance, the Port is growing its French border management cubicles by 50% to maintain passengers flowing by. The brand new cubicles are anticipated to be in operation by subsequent weekend (July 22-24).

As well as, bathroom amenities and a brand new refreshment stall might be positioned earlier than border management. 

Passenger numbers are anticipated to achieve pre-pandemic ranges this summer season, and prospects are suggested to depart 60-90 minutes to get by passport checks at peak occasions. 

No extra SNCF strikes this summer season 

Unions representing SNCF employees introduced this week that they’d no additional strike motion deliberate for the remainder of the summer season. 

As a substitute, negotiations with operator bosses will resume on September 1. 

SNCF unions final led strike motion on July 6, which resulted in SNCF bosses providing pay rises averaging roughly 3%.

The Unsa union welcomed these “encouraging measures”, however SUD-Rail mentioned that the “matter will not be settled” and the CGT mentioned that “staff are at present asking for 7%”. 

Transavia strike: 30% of flights cancelled immediately and Saturday 

Cabin crew at Air France-KLM’s low-cost subsidiary Transavia are putting this week, and 30% of flights might be cancelled immediately (July 15) and tomorrow. 

Cancellations will have an effect on flights to and from Nantes-Atlantique, Paris-Orly, Lyon-Saint Exupéry and Montpellier-Méditerranée, amongst others. 

On Sunday, the airline’s operations will slowly start to return to regular with 25% of flights cancelled. 

The strike started on Wednesday (June 13), with the SNPNC-FO nationwide flight attendant union calling for pay rises and higher working situations for air stewards and stewardesses. 

“Transavia France groups are doing all the things they will to restrict the implications of this motion on flight schedules,” the airline has mentioned. 

Historic Pont-Saint-Esprit, Avignon, Nîmes prepare line to reopen

A prepare line operating alongside the river Rhône from Pont-Saint-Esprit (Gard) to Avignon (Vaucluse) to Nîmes (Gard), which has been closed since 1973, is ready to reopen on August 29.

There can even be a cease at Bagnols-sur-Cèze, which is the third most populous commune within the Gard division. 

General, the journey between Pont-Saint-Esprit and Avignon ought to take round 25 minutes, in comparison with 50 minutes in a automotive.

The reopening of the road goals to raised cater for the world’s rising inhabitants; in 1975 Gard had 495,000 inhabitants in 1975, however this quantity has since grown to just about 755,000 in 2022. 

The Occitanie area hopes that the service will finally carry 200,000 passengers per 12 months, with 5 return trains operating every day between Pont-Saint-Esprit and Avignon, and one persevering with on to Nîmes. It will add an extra 40 minutes to the journey. 

By 2026, it’s hoped that the prepare can even cease at Laudun-l’Ardoise, Roquemaure/Tavel and Villeneuve-lès-Avignon on the Pont-Saint-Esprit-Avignon stretch, and Aramon, Remoulins/Pont du Gard and Marguerittes on the Nîmes part.

Reopening the road is anticipated to price SNCF Réseau and the Occitanie area €100million between now and 2026. 

Ticket costs will begin at €3 – or €1 for 18 to 26-year-olds – with month-to-month season tickets additionally accessible.

Air France provides ‘gasoline surcharge’ of as much as €300 to ticket costs

Air France has added a ‘gasoline surcharge’ to some brief and medium-haul tickets to compensate for the rise within the value of kerosene. 

On short-haul flights, the extra price ranges between €50 and €150 for a return ticket. For medium-haul flights, the surcharge is €100-€300 for a return fare. 

The routes affected by the revised costs embody Paris-Malaga, Dublin, Lisbon, Madrid, London, Milan, Rabat, Rome, Venice and Vienna.

Nonetheless, the surcharges will solely apply to the costliest tickets, equivalent to these for Enterprise Class.

Generally, flights leaving metropolitan France turned 16-19% dearer over the 12 months to Might based on figures from aviation authority the Path générale de l’aviation civile.

This isn’t solely as a result of rise in kerosene costs, but additionally to elevated upkeep prices and salaries. 

Automobiles restricted to 70km/h on Toulouse ring street resulting from air pollution

Town of Toulouse has quickly decreased the velocity restrict from 90km/h to 70km/h on the ring street due to a spike in air air pollution.

Agadir-Paris flight takes off with two passengers on board 

A French couple have been stunned to search out themselves alone on an Air France flight travelling from Agadir (Morocco) to Paris-Charles de Gaulle after their authentic Transavia flight was cancelled. 

Paris-Limoges trains might be 35 minutes faster, new examine suggests 

Practice journeys between Paris and Limoges might be reduce down to 2 hours 40 minutes, based on a brand new examine revealed by Urgence Ligne Paris-Orléans-Limoges-Toulouse, which promotes the event of rail hyperlinks between the cities. 

The journey at present takes three hours and quarter-hour, and rail authorities had predicted  that this might be decreased to 2 hours 49 minutes by 2025. 

Nonetheless, the examine instructed that this might drop even additional by 2027 with a modernisation of the road. 

This mission would require important funding; the federal government has already promised a complete of €1.9billion for modernisation works, and native authorities ought to present an extra €128million. 

Nonetheless, the area of Nouvelle-Aquitaine is at present refusing to provide funding. 

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