SNCF cancels one in four Intercités trains as third heatwave hits French summer holiday departures
A quarter of Intercités services and some TGVs are cancelled on 8 and 9 July, with temperatures again exceeding 33°C and over 1.5 million travellers expected at stations.
Heatwave disrupts rail network
France's third heatwave of the summer is forcing SNCF to cancel trains preventively during the second big weekend of holiday departures. On 8 and 9 July, one in four Intercités trains nationwide is scrapped, rising to one in three on the Paris–Clermont, Paris–Limoges–Toulouse and Bordeaux–Marseille lines. Some TGV Inoui and Ouigo services also face marginal adjustments, while TER cancellations have been ordered in regions with exceptionally high temperatures.
- All Intercités
- 25 %
- Three affected lines
- 33 %
Travelers face delays and frustration
At Bordeaux station on Wednesday evening, passengers described exhaustion and stress as they waited for rebooked trains. One traveller heading to Oléron said she had left home at 9 a.m. and would not arrive until 11 p.m. An engineer returning to Niort questioned why infrastructure had not adapted faster to climate change over the past three decades.
It's the second big departure weekend, plus the 14 July holiday. So we expect a lot of traffic and a lot of people on the trains. We'll really be on deck to make sure our passengers have the best possible experience on our network.
SNCF's preventive measures
SNCF says it has reinforced maintenance on its TGV fleet, introducing three-shift working in technical centres, extra preventive checks and dedicated task forces on each route. The operator wants to avoid a repeat of recent weeks, when passengers were stranded on tracks under blazing sun. The main risk comes from catenary failures and air-conditioning breakdowns on older rolling stock once temperatures pass 33°C.
The entire Corail car fleet undergoes regular maintenance. However, their old design does not give them the same robustness as more recent trains in certain weather conditions like those we are experiencing now.
Aging fleet under scrutiny
The Intercités lines affected have suffered recurrent difficulties. The Corail cars, built in the 1980s, cannot maintain cooling in extreme heat, and SNCF fears a train immobilised in open countryside in full sun. New, air-conditioned trains are not due until 2027, leaving the network exposed to increasingly frequent heatwaves.
