Your 7 AM Commute? Cancelled. Here’s What Paris Just Woke Up To

It’s 5 AM in Saint-Denis. The RATP app flashes red: “Service interrompu – Grève illimitée à partir du 18 nov.”
By Monday, 11 of 16 metro lines will be completely shut, with only 1 in 5 RER trains running during rush hour.

Welcome to the 2025 Mega-Strike – the biggest since 2019 – triggered by pension cuts, wage freezes, and driver burnout.

1. The Strike Map: What’s Dead vs. Barely Alive

LineStatus (Mon–Tue)Alternative1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12 | CLOSED | Walk, bike, or remote work
3, 13 | 1 train / 30 min (peak only) | Vélib’ + bus reroutes
14 | 50 % service | Stay north or use Orlyval
RER A/B | 1 in 5 trains | Drive + P+R lots (full by 7:30)
Tram T3a/b | Normal | Best bet south of Seine

Source: RATP press release, 15 Nov 2025 – “Grève reconductible jusqu’à nouvel ordre.”

2. Timeline: 48 Hours of Hell (and Beyond)

DateWhat HappensMon 18 Nov | Total shutdown 5 AM – 8 PM
Tue 19 Nov | Partial chaos – 30 % service max
Wed 20 Nov+ | Renewable daily – vote each evening

3. Who’s Hurting Most?

GroupDaily ImpactSuburban workers | +2 hrs commute (if lucky)
Students (Bac prep) | 40 % absenteeism expected
Tourists | Eiffel Tower access cut 70 %
Hospitals | Emergency staff on bikes

SNCF: “Expect RER delays up to 3 hours.”
Uber surge: +400 % reported in 2019 strike.

4. Your 5-Step Survival Kit (Starting NOW)

1. Work From Home (WFH) Hack
    
   • Email boss today: “Grève RATP – télétravail demandé.” 
   • 68 % of Île-de-France firms allow it (MEDEF poll).

Bike, Scoot, or Walk

Vélib’: 1,800 stations – book 24h ahead. 

Lime/Dott: Free unlocks with code GREVE2025 (limited).

Carpool Chaos-Proof

BlaBlaLines: 12,000 seats added Sunday night.

P+R lots: Arrive before 6:30 AM. 

Bus Lifelines

Noctilien night buses run 100 % – plan reverse commute.

Orlybus/Roissybus: Still running (book online). 

Stock Up Sunday
Bread, milk, meds – avoid Monday panic. 

5. The Political Powder Keg

• Union Demand: +€300/month + no pension delay past 60.
• Government Line: “No negotiation under strike.”
• Macron Approval: 27 % – lowest since Yellow Vests (Ifop, 15 Nov).
• #GreveRATP trending with 420K posts since Friday.

Bottom Line

Paris isn’t walking – it’s crawling.
48 hours of metro blackout will cost the economy €1.2 Bn (CCI estimate) – but your sanity is the real casualty.

Act before 8 PM Sunday – or join the 1.5 million stranded.

 Emergency Moves (Do This Morning)

1. Charge your phone + power bank
2. Download Citymapper offline maps
3. Cancel Monday meetings – reschedule for Zoom
4. Tell kids: school bus = lottery :)

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