Potential border blockades, train disruptions between France and Luxembourg on Wednesday

"Let's block everything" is the slogan of the cross-sector strike in France scheduled for Wednesday, 10 September. Hundreds of actions are expected both in the Paris region and in towns and cities across the country, according to a provisional overview based on a collaborative map.

Minister of the Interior Bruno Retailleau, who is soon to resign, announced on Monday evening that 80,000 police officers and gendarmes would be deployed, warning that no violence would be tolerated.

Potential road blockades

In Lorraine and the border areas, actions have already been signalled. In the run-up to Wednesday morning, the collaborative map listed several initiatives along the A31 motorway at Metz, Longwy, and Thionville, although some of these were later modified.

One blockade, labelled "total blockade towards Luxembourg", was announced for the A31 near Kanfen, but it gave no set time and has since been removed.

Another has been added at Frisange, on the departmental road leading to Roussy-le-Village. It remains unclear whether certain demonstrations have been cancelled outright or whether organisers are keeping a low profile to avoid drawing the attention of the authorities.

Online posts have also mentioned plans to disable speed cameras on the Beauregard viaduct (A31) and at Cattenom/Koenigsmacker.

As of 6.15am on Wednesday morning, however, traffic was reported as normal. A blockade had also been planned on the A30 near Thionville, but this too disappeared from the map. It will only become clear during the day whether these gatherings will materialise.

Other demonstrations are still scheduled in nearby towns, including at 9am in Longwy, at 2pm on Place de la République in Metz, and in Moyeuvre-Grande.

The General Confederation of Labour (CGT) has also called for a rally outside the Novasco factory in Hagondange at 11am, where jobs are at risk. It is worth stressing that these are only calls to demonstrate, and there is no certainty that they will translate into large-scale mobilisation.

Potential train disruptions

On the railways, the Luxembourg national railway company (CFL) has already announced certain disruptions. Train services to Longwy (Luxembourg – Bascharage-Sanem – Rodange – Longwy line) will be directly affected. Therefore, on Wednesday, 10 September, no trains will run between Rodange and Longwy in either direction. Services on this line will start and terminate at Rodange.

CFL trains to Athus, however, will continue to operate normally.

Furthermore, the Luxembourg – Thionville – Metz line is not expected to be affected by the strike, although this remains subject to change. Regional trains on this line, as well as the TGV, should therefore run as usual, though replacement bus services will continue to operate between Bettembourg and Luxembourg stations in both directions due to ongoing summer works until Sunday, 14 September.

Travellers planning to cross the border are advised to check for possible disruptions on cfl.lu, the CFL mobile app, or the TER Grand Est website.

Sur la carte collaborative, plusieurs actions sont déjà annoncées. / © carte collaborative