Rail strikes to paralyze travel in France, Germany

Trains are expected to stop running nationwide in Germany and France this week because of employee strikes.

Local and long-distance train travel will be snarled, with only about 10 percent of commuter and high-speed intercity trains expected to be running in France starting Wednesday. In Germany, passenger and freight trains will stop running for three to four days, with freight drivers walking off the job on Wednesday and passenger train drivers going on strike early Thursday in a pay dispute.

In France, the strike could last for days; rolling walkouts started today at some train stations. French railway workers are protesting government pension reforms; civil servants, energy workers and students plan protests next week.

State rail operator SNCF said it expected only 90 out of 700 high-speed intercity services to run during the strike in France, the Reuters news agency reported. Only one-tenth the normal number of buses and metro trains were due to be running in Paris on Wednesday.