Why are SNCF ticket purchases blocked on July 26 for these Parisian stations?
Jacques Demarthen / AFP
It is impossible to book train tickets departing from or arriving at these stations in Paris on July 26. (Illustrative photo at Gare de Lyon, Paris)
SNCF – Another hiccup linked to the Olympic Games? While train tickets for the summer went on sale this Wednesday March 13, some Parisians wanted to jump at the chance to book their journey to leave the capital as soon as Paris 2024 opens on July 26. Other French people may have chosen to buy their trip to attend the opening ceremony on the Seine. Unfortunately for them, SNCF will have to wait for the green light from the government to make reservations that day.
was contacted by HuffPostThe SNCF Voyageurs service specifies those trains “TGV Inoui, Ouigo, Intercités, TGV Lyria and TER depart from or arrive at Paris Gare de Lyon, Austerlitz and Paris-Bercy”i.e. the intramural stations located in the south-east of the capital, Not yet available for July 26. SNCF is waiting “Recognition of conditions for the organization of the opening ceremony of Paris 2024 by the public authorities”.
Airspace was closed during the ceremony
If the reservation for train travel on this date is currently suspended, don’t even hope to turn to the plane. On 5 March, the Minister of the Interior, Gerald Darman, announced the closure of airspace in a 150 kilometer radius around the capital from 7pm to midnight for the opening ceremony of the Paris Games. In this area, no aircraft can take off or land from the airport.
The opening ceremony, which is being held outside the stadium for the first time in the history of the Summer Olympics, is a matter of vigilance for security authorities. The viewership, initially envisioned at 600,000 viewers, has already been halved. The nearly 300,000 people who will now be able to take part in the river parade will be ensured by 86 boats on the Seine, said Gerald Darmanin.
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