Paris Metro Reopens as Workers Return From Strikes

Cailey Rizzo

Traveling around Paris — for commuters and tourists alike — should be much easier than it has been over the past few weeks as the longest strike in the nation’s history comes to a close.

For 46 consecutive days, workers protested French President Emmanuel Macron’s proposed overhaul of the pension system. Flights and trains were canceled as workers marched. Paris’s metro system was paralyzed.

Demonstrators outside the Louvre in Paris  | Getty Images 
Demonstrators outside the Louvre in Paris | Getty Images

Over the weekend, the UNSA union’s subway wing announced they would return to work, according to The Associated Press. As of Monday, service to 11 out of Paris’s 16 metro lines had completed resumed normal service. Drivers on three lines voted to remain striking.

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Workers from some other unions, including the national trade union CGT which represents workers from France’s national SNCF railways, remain on strike. About 85 percent of SNCF trains are running as normal, according to The Guardian. All services are running on France’s high-speed TGV and Ouigo trains.

Talks continue between the French government and the unions. Local strikes and protests — which led to the closing of the Eiffel Tower — are expected to continue throughout this week, according to The Local France.

Those who are traveling to France should check directly with their airlines or railways to ensure the most up-to-date service information while strikes continue.