Disneyland Paris: RER A heavily disrupted due to a strike
Facing the strike of the RER A this Friday, May 31, visitors to Disneyland Paris will have to organize themselves. With one train out of two canceled, significant disruptions are to be expected. Discover the reasons for this social movement and the alternatives to reach the park anyway.
This Friday, May 31, 2024, visitors to Disneyland Paris will need to arm themselves with patience. Indeed, a major social movement will disrupt traffic on the RER A line, the main access to the famous amusement park. Four trade unions – La Base, CGT, FO, and UNSA-RATP – are calling on drivers to stop work to denounce their working conditions. As a result, only one train out of two will run on a large part of the line.
Very disrupted traffic on the RER A
According to forecasts communicated by the RATP, traffic will be severely disrupted on the entire RER A line:
- On the Cergy–Le Haut and Poissy branches (SNCF zone), expect 3 out of 4 trains on average.
- On the central section and the Saint-Germain-en-Laye, Marne-la-Vallée–Chessy (serving Disneyland Paris), and Boissy-Saint-Léger branches, only 1 train out of 2 will run.
Interconnection will be maintained at Nanterre–Préfecture station. Some additional trains will run between this station or La Défense and the Cergy and Poissy branches.
Degraded transport conditions for visitors
This strike comes at a bad time for the thousands of visitors who had planned to go to Disneyland Paris that day. The RER A is indeed the most convenient way to reach the park from Paris. With one train out of two canceled, expect crowded platforms and extended waiting times.
RATP apologizes for the inconvenience and invites all travelers to anticipate their journeys. Revised schedules will be available from Thursday 5 p.m. on mobility websites and applications. It is better to check them before leaving!
Unions denounce degraded working conditions
But what are the reasons for this social movement? The four trade unions behind the strike call point to a deterioration in the working conditions of the drivers. According to them, several changes in procedures undermine the safety of the staff and passengers:
- Modification of the management of abandoned luggage
- Changes in work sheets
- Disruption of usual incident management procedures
- Lack of consideration for working conditions
The negotiations in May apparently did not calm the anger of the unions. A new meeting with the management is scheduled for Wednesday afternoon, but the Friday strike is already expected to be very well followed according to La Base-RATP, the first trade union in the RER sector.
Limited alternatives to reach Disneyland Paris
For travelers who still plan to visit Disneyland Paris on Friday, alternatives to the RER A are limited. It is possible to take the TGV from major provincial cities, but seats may be scarce for last-minute reservations.
From Paris, you can also take the RER B line to Châtelet-Les Halles station, then take metro line 1 towards Château de Vincennes and get off at Nation station. There, take the RER E towards Tournan and get off at Val de Fontenay. A bus 122 then allows you to reach the park, but the journey is much longer than with the RER A.
By car, it takes about 45 minutes from the center of Paris, but traffic jams are to be expected on the A4 motorway, especially for the return journey at the end of the day.
Recurrent disruptions on the RER A
Unfortunately for travelers, disruptions are frequent on the RER A. With over a million passengers transported each day, it is the busiest railway line in Europe. The slightest technical incident or social movement has immediate and significant repercussions.
In recent years, travelers have already had to deal with repeated strikes, often related to working conditions or remuneration. Weekends are also regularly affected by works that extend travel times.
However, traffic should return to normal this weekend to allow visitors to fully enjoy their stay at Disneyland Paris. Patience will be required on Friday!
