Parisian commuters suffered travel misery today as transport workers joined one of the city’s biggest strikes over President Emmanuel Macron’s pension reforms.
Ten out of the capital’s 16 subway lines and two major regional train lines were completely shut during the morning rush hour in what is expected to be Paris’s largest strike since 2007. About one in three bus services were expected to run.
“I am walking to work today and will be on the streets for at least four hours,” Anthony, 21, who works in a restaurant in west Paris, told Reuters.
“I’ve never seen so many people walking in Paris before,” said another resident, who gave up on waiting for a Metro train and headed off to find a hire bike.
Officials counted some 120 miles of traffic jams during the morning rush hour, double normal levels.
Unions want the strike to send a warning to Mr Macron’s government as it launches one of the most perilous reforms of his presidency — merging France’s 42 different pension systems into a single points-based system.
