SNCF strike on November 5: how to check your train

The rail strike called for Thursday, November 5, 2026, may affect travel in France, but no detailed official service forecast was available on the morning of November 3. To find out whether your train will run, first identify the network responsible, check the corresponding channel the day before, and check again before leaving. Do not treat a nationwide alert as confirmation that a specific train has been canceled.

What is confirmed about November 5

The four representative SNCF rail unions — CGT-Cheminots, UNSA-Ferroviaire, SUD-Rail and CFDT-Cheminots — called a joint strike for November 5. The call covers rail workers and is tied to demands concerning pay, employment, working conditions, collective protections and railway funding. The CGT central services branch and SUD-Rail published calls to join the action.

That confirms the industrial action, not a complete shutdown. In the latest information reviewed, there were no official percentages by network and no confirmed list of trains running or canceled. A report by DéplacementsPros also said SNCF had not yet released a service plan.

TGV and Intercités: check the journey, not just the route

For a TGV or Intercités trip, search for the train number and date in the app, website or message associated with the booking. Some services on a route may run while others are canceled, so a general report about the network cannot tell you whether your ticket remains usable.

A Sortir à Paris report, updated on November 3, said no official forecast was yet available and recommended monitoring the journey through SNCF channels. Enable notifications and check again before going to the station. If a change or cancellation appears, read the terms offered for that booking before buying another ticket. Do not assume that one exchange or refund policy applies to every case.

TER: the answer depends on the region

TER should not be treated as a single national timetable. Anyone traveling to a museum, performance, festival or concert outside Paris needs to check the relevant regional service and every leg of the trip. This matters especially when an itinerary combines a long-distance train with a TER connection.

Search separately for the outbound trip, return and connections. Record each train number and keep the venue’s address and contact details. If information for one leg is not yet available, it only means the situation must be checked again — not that the service is guaranteed.

Transilien, RER and RATP require different checks

In Île-de-France, identify who operates each section of the journey. Transilien trains and SNCF-operated sections of the RER may be affected by the rail strike. The DéplacementsPros report, however, had found no official strike announcement at that point for RATP metro, bus or tram services. That is not a guarantee of normal operation: scheduled engineering work and later changes may also affect a journey.

For a trip involving RER, metro or bus, check each stage through the operator’s channel. Do not assume SNCF information covers an entire jointly operated line, or that the absence of a RATP strike announcement confirms every scheduled service.

When to check and how to prepare a backup plan

Make a first check on Wednesday, November 4, when information closer to the day of operation may be available. Check again on Thursday before leaving and once more before the return journey. The C’est la grève page also recommends checking the day before and on the morning of travel, without treating the union call as proof of a total shutdown.

For a cultural outing, prepare a simple plan:

• list every train number and identify the operator for each leg;
• confirm the route between the station and the venue;
• check the return as carefully as the outbound trip;
• contact the venue directly if disruption could prevent entry;
• choose a realistic alternative, but confirm availability before relying on it.

Avoid buying a new ticket solely because of a general forecast. First verify the status of the booked train and the terms attached to the ticket. If the journey involves an airport, another rail company or an urban network, treat each service as a separate check.

Decide using the complete itinerary

The useful question is not only “Will there be a strike?” but “Is every stage of my itinerary confirmed?” On November 3, the strike had been called, while the scale of service changes had not yet been officially detailed. A decision to keep, adapt or postpone an outing should account for the specific train, connections, urban transport and return journey — each reviewed through the relevant channel.