PARIS, Dec 23 (NNN-AGENCIES) —France’s national railway company has backtracked on plans to cancel a popular service that allows children to travel alone over Christmas.
SNCF said it was cancelling the service, in which children aged between 4 and 14 are accompanied by a monitor, because of strike action.
The move sparked outcry, with some 5,000 children expected to be affected.
But following a “Christmas truce” from some striking drivers, SNCF said it was laying on special trains on Sunday.
The announcement came amid warnings of travel chaos over the Christmas holidays in France, where workers have been striking over planned pension reforms.
Many French citizens heading off to spend the holidays with family and friends have found themselves stranded because of cancelled trains and gridlocked roads, while hundreds of flights have also been cancelled.
President Emmanuel Macron called on striking transport workers to “observe a truce out of respect for families and family life”.
The SNCF Junior & Co service allows the children of parents and families living in different parts of the country to travel alone during school holidays.
SNCF announced earlier this week that it was cancelling the service, which was expected to run from Dec 20 to 24, because of the ongoing pension strike. It cited security concerns, saying it feared it could not provide adequate supervision to the children.
But critics accused the company of political spin and of trying to sell the seats for more money.
The move outraged parents who were relying on the service to see their children over Christmas.
In a statement on Friday, the company said a “Christmas truce” from some rail staff had allowed it to make a “new offer at the last minute” of 5,000 seats on 14 trains on Sunday.
A return service is planned for Dec 29.
Parents and children on Sunday said they were relieved at the decision.
Workers are striking over Macron’s plans to replace France’s 42 separate pension regimes with a universal points-based system.
Macron’s system would reward employees for each day worked, awarding points that would later be transferred into future pension benefits.
But workers say the reforms would see them retiring later or facing reduced payouts. — NNN-AGENCIES
