In France, due to wildfires, passengers are now allowed to return train tickets without penalty
French passengers who have purchased train tickets to the region around Bordeaux will be able to exchange or refund them free of charge. This decision was made due to the large-scale wildfires that have complicated the situation in the area.
Transportation Minister Philippe Tabaro announced that passengers with train tickets to the southwest for the near future will be able to return or exchange them for a full refund.
“Following a meeting of the interministerial crisis task force, I asked the SNCF operator to implement an exceptional measure that will allow travelers to the region around Bordeaux and other areas affected by the fires to postpone or cancel their trips without penalty,” he said.
According to him, the decision was made to limit the influx of new visitors to this tourist region so as not to further complicate the work of emergency services.
Ticket holders covered by this offer will receive the appropriate notifications.
It should be noted that the death toll from the record-breaking heatwave in France has approached 5,800.
As a reminder, Belgium has recorded a sharp rise in mortality amid a severe heat wave. According to the Sciensano public health institute, the excess mortality rate reached 47%—the highest figure since records began in 2000.
Earlier, average nuclear power generation in France fell below 33 GW, the lowest level in the past nine months, due to the need to limit output at nuclear power plants. The reduction was caused by a critical rise in the temperature of the water in the rivers used to cool the reactors.
