Eurostar has started removing London to Paris trains from its timetable ahead of the most significant French rail strike of 2026, with dozens of services scrapped from as early as Sunday 8 June through to the following week.
If you have a Eurostar booking to or from Paris, or an SNCF train anywhere in France in the next fortnight, your service may already be cancelled. You do not need to travel on strike day itself to be caught by this.
France’s four major rail unions are walking out simultaneously on Wednesday 10 June 2026. It is the first time all four have acted jointly this year, and the disruption window stretches considerably further than a single strike day.
The Key Facts
- Wednesday 10 June 2026 is when all four major SNCF unions walk out jointly for the first time this year
- Eurostar already cancelling trains to and from Paris Gare du Nord from 8 June through at least 12 June
- Second and third waves confirmed with further Eurostar cancellations listed for 15 to 18 June and 18 to 21 June
- Full refund right applies to cancelled trains, even non-refundable bookings, claimed before your departure
- Check 9 June at 17:00 CET when SNCF publishes the definitive strike-day timetable on sncf-connect.com
What Is Actually Happening
France has had two national SNCF strikes in 2026. January’s action involved just two unions and caused almost no disruption to the timetable.
This week is a different situation entirely.
CGT-Cheminots, Sud-Rail, Unsa-Ferroviaire and CFDT-Cheminots have all filed a joint notice for Wednesday 10 June. When all four unions act together, the pool of volunteer and non-striking staff that SNCF normally uses to patch the timetable shrinks dramatically.
In a joint statement, the unions declared what they described as a state of emergency on the French rail network. They cited a rising number of workplace accidents, staff suicides and prolonged sick leave, all attributed to relentless restructuring at SNCF.
The unions are also pressing for genuine pay talks. Consumer prices rose 2.2 per cent in France in April 2026 alone, the statement noted, and management has consistently refused to open meaningful wage negotiations.
Eurostar itself is not participating in the strike action. But the service depends entirely on SNCF Réseau, the infrastructure arm of the French state railway, for the tracks and station slots at Paris Gare du Nord. Every Eurostar train using Paris depends on that infrastructure for its operation.
SNCF Réseau has been pre-emptively reducing capacity at Gare du Nord in anticipation of the walkout and its aftermath. That is why Eurostar began cancelling trains before the strike started.
The first wave of Eurostar cancellations runs from 8 June to 13 June. A second wave covers 15 to 18 June, and a third 18 to 21 June. All three are listed on the official Eurostar disruptions page at eurostar.com/uk-en/travel-info/travel-updates.
Beyond Eurostar, the strike threatens TGV INOUI, OUIGO, Intercités, TER, RER and Transilien services throughout France on 10 June. International trains routing through French territory, including Thalys services to Brussels and Amsterdam, TGV Lyria to Switzerland and DB-SNCF trains to Germany, may also face timetable changes.
One additional date worth noting: Thursday 18 June is also a confirmed strike day at Paris’s three airports. Ground staff at Charles de Gaulle, Orly and Le Bourget have filed separate action. If your itinerary involves a connecting flight at CDG that week, build in significant extra time.
What Passengers Are Saying Right Now
This is not the first time a June 10 SNCF strike has cancelled Eurostar trains and left passengers caught between the train operator and the booking site they used. When French rail workers walked out on the same date in 2025, it played out in almost identical fashion.
The pattern is consistent: passengers discover the cancellation on arrival at the station, the train operator says the refund sits with the third-party booking site, and the booking site says the opposite.
“Neither Eurostar nor Rail Click will take responsibility for refunding the €358. Has anyone had a similar experience with a more positive outcome?”
“We arrived in Paris on Monday to find that our Eurostar train from Paris to Amsterdam was cancelled due to the strike. We were due to travel Tuesday 10th. The problem is that neither Eurostar nor Rail Click, the site we purchased the tickets through, will take responsibility for refunding the €358.00. Has anyone else had a similar experience, but with a more positive outcome? It hasn’t been a great start to our holiday.”
Forum member, Camberley, UK — TripAdvisor — France Travel Forum, June 2025
Eurostar has been actively updating passengers via its disruptions page and social media this weekend, directing travellers to Manage Booking for free exchanges and full refunds.
Eurostar confirmed the cancellations and pointed passengers to its website for free exchanges and full refunds, with no additional charge and no deadline pressure beyond three months from the original travel date.
The Connexion, the English-language newspaper for residents and visitors in France, reported the unions’ joint statement in full this week. The language from the rail workers’ representatives is unusually direct.
The unions accused management of denying any problem with wages even as the cost of living continued to rise month after month.
“Railway bosses’ denial of reality is intolerable. At the sectoral meeting on 28 May, management dared to claim there was no problem with purchasing power. As for the SNCF, no measures are planned. This is an unacceptable disregard for railway workers.”
Four-union joint statement — The Connexion — France, 5 June 2026
What You Can Actually Do
Do not wait for an email notification from Eurostar or SNCF. Both send cancellation alerts to the address on the booking, but these can be delayed or land in spam.
Check your train number yourself today, and repeat the check on Tuesday evening after 17:00 CET when the definitive strike-day timetable publishes.
- Go to the Eurostar disruptions page now. Visit eurostar.com/uk-en/travel-info/travel-updates and check whether your date and train number appear under the June cancellation notices. All three waves (8 to 13 June, 15 to 18 June, 18 to 21 June) are listed there.
- If your Eurostar is cancelled, use Manage Booking immediately. Log in to your Eurostar account and choose Manage Booking. You can exchange free of charge for any available date and class, or request a full cash refund to your original payment method. You have three months from your original travel date to make this choice.
- Check SNCF trains separately. If you have a TGV, Intercités, TER or other SNCF booking, go to sncf-connect.com or the SNCF Connect app and check your journey under your account. SNCF notifies passengers 48 to 72 hours before a cancelled service, but checking yourself is faster.
- Mark 17:00 CET on Tuesday 9 June in your diary. That is when SNCF publishes the official timetable for the following day. Only from that moment will you know definitively whether your specific June 10 service is running or cancelled.
- Allow significant extra time if you are connecting to a flight. The RER B to Charles de Gaulle Airport runs on a reduced timetable during SNCF strikes. Paris Metro and bus services will see higher demand. Eurostar passengers catching onward flights should arrive at Paris Gare du Nord at least two hours earlier than usual.
What You Are Owed
Rail passenger rights work very differently from air travel rights, and this distinction matters here.
Under EU261 and UK261, an airline strike or air traffic control walkout typically triggers the extraordinary circumstances exemption, removing the right to fixed compensation. Rail travel follows a different framework entirely. EU Regulation 1371/2007, which governs rail passenger rights, does not include the same strike exemption for delay compensation.
In plain terms: if your train is cancelled, you are owed a full refund. If your train runs but arrives significantly late, you are owed partial compensation. A strike does not cancel either of those rights.
Your EU Rail Passenger Rights (Regulation 1371/2007)
Delay compensation applies even when a strike caused the delay. You do not need to prove it was the operator’s fault.
of your single ticket price, claimable when a train arrives 120 minutes or more late at the final destination.
Here is how the rights break down in practice.
- Cancelled train. You are entitled to a full refund of the ticket price, even on a non-refundable booking. You must request this before the scheduled departure time. Both Eurostar and SNCF offer this automatically for affected trains.
- Train delayed 60 to 119 minutes at arrival. You can claim 25 per cent of the single ticket price for that leg. This applies even if a strike caused the delay.
- Train delayed 120 minutes or more. You can claim 50 per cent of the single ticket price. A strike does not exempt the operator from paying this under rail passenger rights.
- Right to care. If your train is cancelled or delayed 60 or more minutes, the operator must provide meals and refreshments at the station proportionate to your waiting time.
For Eurostar: request refunds and free rebooking via eurostar.com, then choose Manage Booking. For delay compensation after your journey, contact Eurostar Customer Services with your booking reference and documented arrival time.
For SNCF: request refunds at sncf-connect.com, go to Mon Compte, then Mes commandes, and select the affected booking. Alternatively call 3635 from within France. SNCF has confirmed that refunds apply even on non-refundable tickets when the operator cancels.
Check your travel insurance policy, too. If you took out the policy before the strike was announced, you may be able to claim costs for alternative transport, accommodation or missed connections.
The SNCF strike timetable for 10 June publishes at 17:00 CET on Tuesday 9 June at sncf-connect.com and on the SNCF Connect app. Check it that evening. The refund and free-exchange window closes at the scheduled departure time for each train, so do not leave it until the morning of the 10th.
