Strike of March 8: transport, fuel, gas…. Blockages sector by sector
Will this Wednesday be as disrupted as it was on Tuesday, the day of “historic mobilization”, according to union leaders? The day after the very popular strike of March 7, where some 280 demonstrations were organized in the country, a new day of blockages is emerging, in particular in transport, fuel depots and certain ports. We take stock.
At the RATP
According to RATP forecasts, Wednesday’s day should once again experience disruption, despite an announced improvement. “Traffic for the day of Wednesday March 8 should be improved compared to the day of March 7 with almost normal traffic on the Bus network and normal on the Tramway network”, indicates the transport authority, referring however to traffic ” very disrupted on the RER and metro networks”.
Apart from lines 1 and 14 (automated) and 4, the other lines will only be partially open, but “all metro lines will be fully served on Wednesday at rush hour”, according to the RATP. The RER will experience more regular traffic with two out of three trains on the A and one out of two on the B. Buses and trams will run almost normally. The details of today’s forecasts can be found here.
“Very disturbed” traffic at the SNCF
The SNCF is also anticipating a “very disturbed” Wednesday, due to the railway workers’ strike for this second consecutive day of mobilization. She specifies that the traffic will also be disrupted on Thursday and recommends to travelers “who can”, to “cancel or postpone their trips planned for March 8 and 9 and to favor teleworking”.
It will take 1 train out of 3 on average on the TVG Inoui network. Count 1 TER out of 3 will run on average and 1 train out of 3 on average on the portions of the RER A and B concerned by the SNCF, as well as lines H, J, K, L and U of the Transilien network. Count on only 1 train out of 5 on lines C, D and E of the RER managed by the company, and those N, P and R of the Transilien
TGV, TER, Intercity… the latest traffic forecasts for this Wednesday can be read here.
Fuel shipments still blocked
Fuel shipments were still blocked this Wednesday morning at the exit of the TotalEnergies group’s refineries in France, CGT-Chimie told AFP. According to Éric Sellini, elected national, “the large TotalEnergies shipping sites are at a standstill. The strike was renewed in the establishments of TotalEnergies in La Mède, Donges, the Raffinerie de Normandie, Feyzin and Flandres, with rates of strikers between 70% and 100%”.
On the Esso-ExxonMobil side, the Fos-sur-Mer refinery (Bouches-du-Rhône) had 86% of strikers among the morning teams. That of Gravenchon (Seine-Maritime) “was on strike last night”, according to Éric Sellini, who also reports 80% of strikers on the site of Lavéra (South-East) of the Petroineos group, a subsidiary of the British Ineos and PetroChina .
In addition to the depots located in refineries, France has 200 depots which make it possible to supply the networks of all fuel distribution brands, according to Ufip, spokesperson for oil companies.
Gas pipelines open, despite blockages
“The four LNG terminals” port allowing the import of liquefied natural gas “and all the gas storages where there are personnel, ie 13, are still blocked. “It will last for the next few days as well because the goal is to put the pressure on. There are general meetings every morning, the determination is there, ”underlines Fabrice Coudour, federal secretary of the FNME CGT union.
But “there is no impact on users”. Because the French gas network is supplied by three main sources: liquefied natural gas, imported by ships in four port terminals; the 13 underground storage sites, in natural cavities; and gas imported by pipeline from Norway or Spain.
At this stage, the gas pipelines of the transmission system operator, GRTgaz, remain open and customers are therefore supplied.
