SHARE
COPY LINK
For members

PARIS

The Paris Metro and RER closures in August you need to know

A month of discontent, delays and disruption is in store for anyone using the Metro or RER services in Paris this August, as the capital steps up preparations for next year's Olympics.

The Paris Metro and RER closures in August you need to know
Expect plenty of travel disruption in Paris this summer. (Photo by STEPHANE DE SAKUTIN / AFP)

Line closures and maintenance delays are routine in Paris in the summer, when passenger numbers are down because many people are away on holiday. But the amount of work is higher than normal this year, with improvements planned on almost every major line in and out of the capital.

Nine metro lines, as well as three tramways, will be affected throughout the summer, with the schedules for certain major routes like the RER commuter train system set to also be disrupted.

Here’s what we know about line closures in the coming weeks in AUgust:

Metro

Line 4 

No service between August 12th and 17th from Porte-de-Clignancourt to Barbès-Rochechouart. 

Line 5

No service until August 11th between the stations Gare-du-Nord and République.

Line 9

The entirety of Line 9 will be closed on September 3rd.

Line 11 

Closed on the following Sunday, August 27th, for work on the extension to Rosny-sous-Bois. The line will also close at 10pm every Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday until the end of September. 

Line 12

Closed from August 2nd to 8th between the stations Front-Populaire and Jules-Joffrin.

Line 13

The Porte-de-Saint-Ouen station will be closed from until August 18th. 

Line 14

Until August 11th, no services will run on the entirety of the line.

Tramways

Line T2

From August 12th to 27th, the tram will not run between Pont-de-Bezons and La Défense.

From August 12th to 18th, traffic will also be halted between Porte-de-Versailles and Issy-Val-de-Seine.

Line T3A

Until August 11th, traffic will be halted between Porte-d’Italie and Porte de Vincennes.

RER A

Europe’s busiest railway line will be closed from Nation and Val-de-Fontenay and Fontenay-sous-Bois stations from August 9th to 18th; and between Cergy-le-Haut and Conflans-Fin-d’Oise stations from August 5th to 20th.

RER B North

The line will be closed between Gare-du-Nord and Mitry-Claye on August 12th, 13th and 14th. 

On September 23rd and 24th, the section between Aulnay-sous-Bois and Mitry-Claye will not be served.

Replacement buses will be in operation, but users are warned to expect delays.

RER B South

The station Bagneux will remain closed until August 27th.

Between Fontaine-Michalon and Massy-Palaiseau, from August 5th to August 20th, traffic will be halted to carry out modernisation work on the Chartres and Gallardon bridges. 

All trains will terminate at Fontaine-Michalon and Massy-Palaiseau. A replacement bus will serve Massy-Palaiseau, Massy-Verrières, Les Baconnets and Fontaine-Michalon stations.

Until August 4th, traffic will be interrupted to allow completion of the Massy-Valenton-Ouest project between La Croix de Berny and Massy-Palaiseau, and to continue work on the Chartres and Gallardon bridges. 

All trains will terminate at La Croix-de-Berny and Massy-Palaiseau. A shuttle bus will serve the remaining stations.

The branch between Bourg-la-Reine and Robinson will be closed until August 26th. All trains will terminate at Bourg-la-Reine. Substitutions will be made at Bourg-la-Reine, Sceaux, Fontenay-aux-Roses and Robinson stations.

RER C

The Austerlitz – Javel – Henri-Martin section will be closed until August 26th.

No trains will run between Massy and Pont-de-Rungis, either, during the replacement of the Gallardon rail bridge in Massy, and for the Massy southern rail bypass project.

RER D

Disruption can be expected on weekends, until August 26th, in particular on morning / early afternoon trains going into Paris (until 2:55pm); and for the other direction (leaving Paris) after 3pm.

RER E

The Challes-Gournay station and Vaires-Torcy stations will experience several disruptions.

From August 5th to 6th, the Challes-Gournay will closure (in both directions), and neither will the Vaires-Torcy station (for those going towards Paris).

The same will go for August 11th to 12th, as well as August 19th to 20th, and finally August 26th to 27th.

Transilien

Line H

From August 5th to 6th traffic will not run between Ermont-Eaubonne and Valmondois; as well as Pontoise and Persan-Beaumont.

Line J

There will be several disruptions on this line. Until August 13th, traffic will be interrupted between  Épône-Mézières and Mantes-la-Jolie. 

From August 5th to 6th, August 19th to 20th, and 26th to 27th, trains will not run between Les-Mureaux and Mantes-la-Jolie.

From August 12th to 13th, August 19th to 20th, and August 26th to 27th, traffic will not run between Paris Saint-Lazare and Saint Cloud – Garches – Marnes-la-Coquette.

Line L

From August 5th to 20th, traffic will not run between Maisons-Laffitte and Cergy-le-Haut.

Line P

Until August 13th, traffic will be halted between Plaisir-Grignon and Mantes-la-Jolie.

Until August 27th, traffic will be halted between Meaux and La-Ferté-Milon.

And until August 27th, the Nangis station will be closed.

Line U

Traffic between La Défense and Suresnes will be halted three times – from August 12th to 13th; August 19th to 20th; and finally August 26th to 27th.

Member comments

Log in here to leave a comment.
Become a Member to leave a comment.

STRIKES

Ryanair cancels 300 flights set to fly over France due to strike

The budget airline Ryanair announced on Wednesday that it had been forced to cancel more than 300 flights set to fly over French airspace on Thursday, due to strike action by air traffic controllers that was cancelled at the last-minute.

Ryanair cancels 300 flights set to fly over France due to strike

In a press release published on Wednesday, Ryanair announced that 300 of their flights had been cancelled due to a planned strike by French air traffic controllers (ATC).

“Even though it’s French ATC that are striking, most disrupted passengers are not flying to/from France but overfly French airspace en route to their destination (e.g., UK – Greece, Spain, Italy),” the company said.

According to Ryanair estimates, 50,000 passengers would be affected in some way. 

The main union participating in the strike announced on Wednesday morning that it had reached a deal with management and would be calling off industrial action, but the announcement came too late and many flights had already been cancelled. 

As a result, significant delays and widespread cancellations were still expected on Thursday.

READ MORE: ‘75% of flights cancelled’: Which French airports will be worst affected by Thursday’s disruption?

Why are overflights affected?

The overflights pass through French airspace on their way to another country, and they make up a significant percentage of the flights handled by French air traffic controllers on a daily basis.

During strikes by French air traffic controllers, overflights are likely to be delayed or diverted as airlines seek alternatives routes that go around France, rather than over it. Often, there are also cancellations, as is the case for Ryanair. 

Can I still get a refund due to a delay or cancellation of an overflight?

In terms of compensation, it makes little difference whether your flight is to/from France or simply over it, as EU compensation rules apply to all flights that either arrive at or depart from an airport in the EU/Schengen zone, or are operated by an EU-registered carrier.

Find full details on your rights and how to claim refunds HERE.

Are there plans to protect overflights?

Ryanair has been pushing for greater overflight protection for a long time, and they made several calls for change during the 2023 protests against pension reform when a number of air traffic control strikes were called.

READ MORE: Cancellations and compensation: How French strikes affect European flights

In their Wednesday memo, the company called again for the EU Commission to take action to protect overflights.

“French air traffic controllers are free to go on strike, that’s their right, but we should be cancelling French flights, not flights leaving Ireland, going to Italy, or flights from Germany to Spain or Scandinavia to Portugal.

“The European Commission under Ursula von der Leyen has failed for 5 years to take any action to protect overflights and the single market for air travel. We’re again calling on her to take action to protect overflights which will eliminate over 90 percent of these flight cancellations,” Ryanair’s CEO Michael O’Leary said in the memo.

The company has also released a petition to ‘‘Protect Overflights: Keep EU Skies Open’, which has over 2.1m signatures.

SHOW COMMENTS