This year the "train chaos in the summer" competition has new rules: it's for single trains stuck with no electricity in for hours in the heat of the sun or overnight. And with the opening of the network to competition, non-SNCF trains can compete. Note that these reports are hard to tell apart, so this list might not be complete, just for the last week!

On Monday (25/5/26) two TGVs (one a Ouigo) to Marseille and Nice were caught by an OLE break during the afternoon, when the temperature on board shot up to "dangerous" in an hour. Passengers were allowed out to sit on the shady side after an hour - of course whether that's possible depends on the track orientation.  Both arrived about 8 hours late; several other trains were also delayed but not by headline-earning amounts.

A passenger on that Ouigo opened an emergency exit after an hour to get some air. She was issued with a €200 fine which SNCF, challenged about that, first supported and then "suspended" during internal inquiries.

On Thursday (28/5/26) SNCF announced a number of cancellations in advance of Intercités services. The explanation was that the aircon in these old Corail trains (scheduled for replacement next year) has a high failure rate. They are undergoing a planned spring maintenance campaign to help them through the summer, but of course this year the (very) hot weather has caught them with only part of the fleet done. It has also meant that aircon failure now has to be taken much more seriously than in the past.

Last evening (29/5/26) two Trenitalia services in the evening from Lyon to Paris were diverted off the LGV and then the OLE failed and they (841 passengers) were stuck for ... 10 hours, for a total delay of 14 hours. Support was provided by the gendarmes in situ, with no evacuation or rescue train. Not being able to call on SNCF resources might be relevant to that, of course.

I wonder whether in the future clued-up passengers will make sure the service they are booking will use a TGV-M - you know, the latest ones with batteries big enough to keep the aircon running or even limp to a station.

 
Always reassuring to hear that the railways of mainland Europe have just the same issues as we do.  We just wouldn’t get to hear about them if it wasn’t for Stuving!

 

I'm not sure that GWR's (or other TOCs customers) will find it "reassuring" after the last week's performance.

"Reassuring" would be hearing a plan from the industry to address the UK railways apparent inability to cope with late Spring/Summer weather, for which the trend has been getting hotter year on year for well over a decade now.

Surely we should aspire to do better, not simply seek to take solace from others problems?

 
I meant it was reassuring for me on a forum where, sometimes rightly, the majority of comments on GWR and the British rail network are negative/critical.  YMMV.

 
Not keen on SNCF presenting passengers with a choice between 'Risk dying' or 'Pay a €200 fine'. Hope their internal investigation resolves this.

Mark

 

My wife presents me with that option whenever I tell her I'm going to Twickenham! 

 

The tone of comments, II, is a real issue that worries me.   And, I know, I am a critical one and very much so at times; I feel it as I log various happenings.   I *try*, personally, to at least offer constructive criticisms, to help explain and be pragmatic, but it can get really difficult - and good news at times is no news.   

Touring "Sur le Continent" as I am at present, to the extent of boring my social media friends and making them jealous, confirms to me that some the issues we report in the UK that are frustrating and discussed exist here too. As an example, yesterday, my journeyplanner-offered connection failed and as I pulled delayed in to Amstetten, I watched the train I wanted to carry onto pulling out across the station.   And we were asked to vacate first class - very politely - after having our tickets checked.  We pointed out that they are first class passes ... and (oops!) the ticket inspector was rather apologetic at having assumed.   But there I go again - this time in Austria - picking on things which go wrong.

We had a lovely trip today and rode the Wachaubahn from Krems to Emmesdorf an der Donau ... post to follow?  Weather has been very hot and we had storms yesterday in which the sky went so dark I thought I had misread sunset (but it got light again after) and then another unbearably hot middle of the day today, broken also by a storm.  I'm new to the area so don't know if this is typical here for May ...