The French pension strike intensifies on Tuesday, with a majority of train lines cancelled and traffic congestion as a result. But British flights are also affected.  

The strike escalation is part of an effort to get Emmanuel Macron to scrap his pension reform proposal before Christmas. The proposal would combine over 40 different pension tables into a more uniform template and raise the retirement age from 62 to 64.

Air traffic abroad is also affected as several French air traffic controllers are involved. According to the British newspaper The Independent British Airways has cancelled more than 30 flights that were due to pass through French airspace. In total, 5,000 passengers have had their flights cancelled. 

According to Le Figaro Paris and the surrounding area had 300 km of traffic jams on Tuesday morning and 8 of 14 metro lines in Paris are closed. The rest have limited traffic, the same applies to commuter trains (RER). 

State-run rail operator SNCF is appealing to passengers not to come to stations hoping to travel, as 80 percent of train departures in the region have been cancelled. Transport Minister Jean-Baptiste Djebbari is now guaranteeing that all SNCF customers with train tickets will get home by Christmas.

Source: di.se