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☆ The most exciting new trains coming in 2024
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-04 | by ( Ben Jones | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +13 min

CNN —Around the world, travelers are flocking back to trains, and demand is increasing across the board for high-speed trains, luxury “land cruises” and long-distance day and night trains. Here are some of the best new trains you’ll be able to take in 2024. Laurie Dieffembacq/Belga/AFP/Getty ImagesLinks between two of Europe’s most visited capitals have traditionally been pretty poor, with no direct trains since the 1990s. Ian Clarke/Alamy Stock PhotoFour continents, 13 countries, and seven luxury trains across 80 days – the ultimate experience for rail travel connoisseurs is due to depart in late 2024. BelmondOne of the world’s greatest luxury train journeys is returning to the rails in 2024 after a four-year gap.

Persons: Laurie Dieffembacq, Dimorestudio, Vita ”, Riva Aquarama, itineraries, Jeroen Berends, Gabriel Bouys, it’s, Jesus Hellin, That’s, Trenitalia, Luigi Ferraris, France –, Railbookers, Ian Clarke, we’ve, ”, Frank Marini, Alex Halada, There’s Organizations: CNN, Orient, Getty, ÖBB, Austrian Federal Railways, SNCF, Eurostar, National, Europa Press, French, Renfe, FS, Rocky Mountaineer, Royal, Orient Express, Oriental, ”, Oriental Express, Austrian Railways, Swiss Locations: Swiss, Venice, Paris, Berlin, AFP, Strasbourg, Frankfurt, Italy, Rome, Matera, Palermo, Sicily, Messina, Europe’s, Istanbul, Split, Brussels, Prague, Europe, Dutch, Dresden, Belgian, Roman, Naples, Madrid, Spain, France, Spanish, Barcelona, Lyon, Marseille, Canada, Central Europe, India, South Africa, Eastern, Vancouver, Malaysia, Singapore, Malaysia’s, Kuala Lumpur, Langkawi, Penang, Bangkok, Vienna, Innsbruck, Hamburg, Switzerland, Germany, Zürich, Gornergrat Bahn, Zermatt, Gornergrat, Riffelalp

☆ France boosts air, rail security amid rise in bomb hoaxes
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

French police stand guard in front of the Chateau de Versailles (Palace of Versailles) as tourists enter again after the Palace was evacuated for security reasons, in Versailles, near Paris, France, October 17, 2023. REUTERS/Clotaire Achi/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsPARIS, Oct 22 (Reuters) - France, already on its highest security alert, is to boost security at airports around the capital and on trains after a wave of bomb hoaxes, the transport minister said on Sunday. Alongside the heightened risk, there were "people who are playing with fear", he said, referring to the wave of fake bomb alerts that have hit transport networks, schools and cultural centres over the last week. Since last Wednesday, there have been 70 bomb hoaxes in airports in France, he said, adding that almost all of these alerts were sent from the same Swiss-based email address. Beaune told France Inter that hoaxes are not "small jokes, they are serious crimes" and that they will be investigated.

Persons: Chateau, Clotaire, Clement Beaune, Layli Foroudi, Nick Macfie Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, ., SNCF, France Inter, Thomson Locations: Versailles, Paris, France, Arras, Europe, Beaune, Swiss

☆ France’s health minister says country not ‘invaded by bedbugs’ and urges calm
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-30 | by ( Chris Liakos | Maya Szaniecki | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

Paris CNN —France’s health minister has assured the French public that there’s “no reason for widespread panic” as Paris reports a “widespread” rise in bedbugs. “Bedbugs have been increasingly present in France for two or three years now, regularly peaking in the summer. French transport operators say they remain “vigilant” about bedbugs following reports of what were said to be sightings in public transport. In the videos, the bedbugs were said to be spotted on public transport and other public locations, such as cinemas. French health minister Aurelien Rousseau also dimissed the idea that the rise in bedbugs is related to imigration.

Persons: Aurelien Rousseau, haven’t, we’ve, ”, Marie Effroy, ” Effroy, Effroy, Clement Beaune, bedbugs, RATP, “, Paris Emmanuel Gregoire, Gregoire, ” Johanna Fite, ” Fite, “ It’s, ” Gregoire, “ Bedbugs Organizations: Paris CNN —, France Inter, bedbugs, National Institute for, CNN, ” Railway, SNCF, Eurostar –, Paris, French Inter, “, Olympic Locations: Paris, France, ”, bedbugs

☆ Protesters prepare last-ditch bid to stop French pension overhaul
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-06 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

"Protests have been going on for six months, it's unprecedented," Sophie Binet, the new leader of the hardline CGT union said on BFM TV. "There's a lot of anger but also fatigue," she said, adding that strikers were feeling the pinch on paychecks. Between 400,000 and 600,000 people are expected to turn out at protests across France, authorities said, which would be down from more than a million who took part in marches at the height of the pension protests earlier this year. But unions hope a big protest turnout could pressure lawmakers into reviewing the bill anyway and holding a vote. Opposition lawmakers, meanwhile, say the bill being rejected would revive public anger, branding any such move "antidemocratic".

Persons: Emmanuel Macron's, Sophie Binet, I'm, Jean, Claude Mailly, Macron, Michel Rose, Hugh Lawson Organizations: CGT, Inter, SNCF, Thomson Locations: Macron, France, Paris, Orly

☆ Strikes, Delays and Lost Luggage: How to Survive Air Travel This Summer
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-25 | by ( Elaine Glusac | The New York Times | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +27 min

Illustration by Yukai Du Strikes, Delays and Lost Luggage: How to Survive Air Travel This Summer With the travel season in full swing, we compiled a guide to help you navigate the year’s most hectic time in the skies. If you don’t care which beach, shop around.” If you haven’t booked summer flights, do it now. For one, avoiding the airports with the highest levels of delays and cancellations last summer may be a good idea. They’re also getting longer inside airport lounges, longtime havens from the masses clogging the terminals at peak times. Standard membership in Priority Pass, a network of 1,300 airport lounges, starts at $99 a year, with each visit costing $35 at that level.

Persons: Yukai Du, we’ve, haven’t, Hopper, What’s, ”, Laura Lindsay, Ted Rossman, Priceline, Mr, Rossman, Charlotte Douglas, Toronto Pearson, it’s, “, Carter Langston, Rhonda Lawson, C.B.P, you’ve, you’re, You’ll, Lawson, Emmanuel Macron, Tomasz Pawliszyn, Jamie Larounis, Larounis, they’re, SITA —, They’re, Eric Goldmann of Atlanta Organizations: Bureau of Labor Statistics, Google, Miami, JetBlue, Heathrow Airport, Amsterdam Schiphol, Gatwick, Air Canada, Labor, Newark Liberty International, La Guardia Airport, Kennedy Airport, Reagan, Miami International, Orlando International, Boston Logan International, Charlotte Douglas International, Toronto Pearson, Federal Aviation Administration, Washington , D.C, Customs, Western, Gulf, Phoenix, Transportation Security Administration, Global, Border Protection, Clear, PreCheck, Heathrow, Air, SNCF, U.S . State Department, Smart, Union, Travelers, New Tech, Airlines, Lufthansa, Siemens, Alaska Airlines, KLM, U.S . Bureau of Transportation Statistics, Apple, The Department of Transportation, American, Venture, Dallas Fort Worth International, JPMorgan Chase, Club, Chase Sapphire Reserve, Americas Locations: Europe, United States, Asia, San Francisco, Jacksonville, Fla, Miami, London, Amsterdam, U.S, La, New York, Washington, Charlotte, N.C, Newark, Orlando, Toronto, Sydney, Jakarta, Frankfurt, Munich, Heathrow, Washington ,, States, Denver, Seattle, Reno, Nev, Gulf Coast, Atlantic, Houston , New Orleans, Atlanta, Luton, T.S.A, ’, noncitizens, France, Britain, Italy, Germany, Berlin, Dutch, Swiss, Delta, United, Hong Kong, Dallas, Boston, North, Central, South America, Dallas , Newark

☆ Protesters storm Paris Euronext building in anger over pension law
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-20 | by ( Noemie Olive | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

REUTERS/Benoit TessierPARIS, April 20 (Reuters) - A group of protesters briefly invaded offices of stockmarket operator Euronext in Paris' La Defense business district on Thursday, saying big companies must pay up to finance pensions, as part of wider protests against a rise in the retirement age. Waving union flags, the group of a few hundred protesters occupied Euronext's lobby, engulfed in red smoke from flares, and chanted words popular with pension protesters: "We are here, we are here, even if Macron does not want it we are here." At the weekend, Macron signed into law the rise in the retirement age which means citizens must work two years longer, to 64, before receiving their state pension. "We'll continue until the (pension law's) withdrawal," protesters shouted in La Defense's central square, standing by a banner that read: "No to the pension reform". Macron himself faced protests on Thursday during his second public outing since signing the bill into law.

☆ French pension protesters flood LVMH headquarters in Paris
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-13 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/3] Security members stand in front of the headquarters of luxury retailer Louis Vuitton after a protest action French SNCF workers, members of French CGT and Sud Rail labour unions in Paris as part of the 12th day of nationwide strikes and protests against French government's pension reform, in Paris, France, April 13, 2023. REUTERS/Bart BiesemansPARIS, April 13 (Reuters) - Scores of French workers protesting against pension reforms flooded into the Paris headquarters of luxury group LVMH (LVMH.PA) on Thursday, calling for the rich to contribute more to financing the state pension. France's labour unions have been staging strikes and marches since mid-January in protest against President Emmanuel Macron's plans to raise the legal retirement age. The government says it is necessary to raise the retirement age for most workers to balance the pension budget in years to come. Reporting by Bart Biesemans and Ingrid Melander, writing by Mimosa Spencer; editing by Susan FentonOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ France faces another day of nationwide protests against Macron's pension plans
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-11 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

PARIS, March 11 (Reuters) - France faced a seventh day of demonstrations on Saturday against President Emmanuel Macron's unpopular pension reform plans amid ongoing rolling strikes which have affected refineries, public transport and garbage collections. Demonstrations started at 10 a.m (0900 GMT) in the streets of major cities including Toulouse and Nice. Opinion polls show a majority of voters oppose Macron's plan, while a slim majority supports the strike actions. An additional day of nationwide strikes and protests is planned for March 15. Reporting by Tangi Salaun, Forrest Crellin and Benoit Van Overstraeten; Editing by Mike HarrisonOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Unions seek to bring France to a halt to block pension reform
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-07 | by ( Ingrid Melander | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/2] Suburban trains are seen at the Saint-Lazare train station in Paris on the eve of the sixth nationwide day of strike and protests against the pension reform in France with heavy disruption on French SNCF railway and the Paris transport RATP networks, France, March 6, 2023. "Together, on March 7th, let's put France to a halt! "People massively reject this reform," CFDT union leader Laurent Berger told France Inter radio. "The future of our pension system is at stake," Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne told France 5 TV on Monday. "We are moving up a gear," the head of CGT union, Philippe Martinez, told weekly JDD.

☆ 'Let's bring France to a halt': Oil refineries blocked and trains halted by pension reform protests
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-07 | by ( Jenni Reid | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Christophe Archambault | Afp | Getty ImagesStrike action over plans to raise the pension age in France caused widespread disruption on Tuesday, as trains came to a near-standstill, many schools were shut and fuel deliveries were blocked from refineries. Lou Benoist | Afp | Getty ImagesEric Sellini, a representative from the CGT union at TotalEnergies, told Reuters that a strike blocking the Gonfreville refinery in Normandy would run until Thursday. Another at the Donges refinery in western France is set to run until Friday, he added. Sameer Al-doumy | Afp | Getty ImagesThe strikes come as French workers grapple with red-hot inflation, which accelerated unexpectedly in February to hit 6.2% year-on-year. Around two thirds of the public support protests against the pension reforms, according to an Elabe survey.

Air France said about 20% of short-haul flights would be canceled, but long-haul services would be maintained. The reforms will gradually increase the age at which most French citizens can draw a state pension to 64, from 62. A record 1.3 million people took part in demonstrations on January 19, which brought the country to a standstill and shuttered the Eiffel Tower to visitors. The government has said the pension legislation is necessary to tackle a funding deficit, but the reforms have angered workers at a time when living costs are rising. The legislation is currently before French lawmakers, with a vote on the final version of the text expected later this month.

PARIS, March 5 (Reuters) - Industrial action in France over the government's planned pensions overhaul will cause heavy disruption to public transport again on Tuesday, the transport minister and several public transport authorities said on Sunday. Some unions, such as the hardline CGT, called for a rolling strike at refineries and at the national railway operator SNCF. "We are moving up a gear," the head of CGT, Philippe Martinez, told French weekly JDD. It is up to him to withdraw this reform," he said, referring to President Emmanuel Macron. RATP, the public transport operator for the Ile-de-France region around Paris, also said metro lines and suburban trains will be heavily disrupted, with some metro lines only running at peak hours.

The slogan reads "No to the Macron's pension reform". In what could prove a prolonged standoff, unions and their members are seeking to minimise the impact on personal finances already strained by the worst cost of living crisis in decades. French unions generally do not have permanent strike funds to help members cope, though some will set up occasional kitties financed by donations for a specific cause. While it is generally used to cover legal fees and compensate workers in local strikes, members are now clamouring for it to help cover lost pay during the pension strikes. However, even before the cost of living crisis, French unions have struggled to resist government reform plans in the decades since massive strikes in 1995 successfully forced a conservative government to drop a pension overhaul.

Paris/London CNN —French schools and transportation networks were heavily disrupted Tuesday for the second time this month, as unions staged another mass strike against government plans to raise the retirement age for most workers. Strikes that day brought the transportation network to a standstill and shuttered the Eiffel Tower to visitors. Air France (AFLYY) canceled 10% of short-haul flights but said strikes would not affect long-haul services. On Sunday, Prime Minister Élisabeth Borne said raising the retirement age was “not negotiable,” during an interview on domestic television station France Info. Raising the retirement age to 64 will keep France below the norm in Europe and in many other developed economies, where the age at which full pension benefits vest is 65 and increasingly moving towards 67.

☆ France hit by nationwide strike as unions fight Macron’s plan to raise retirement age
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-19 | by ( Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +5 min

French workers would have to work longer before receiving a pension under the new rules — with the nominal retirement age rising from 62 to 64. Many French workers expressed mixed feeling about the government’s plan and pointed to the complexity of the pension system. For those who do not fulfil that condition, like many women who interrupted their career to raise their children or those who studied for a long time and started working late, the retirement age would remain unchanged at 67. Those who started to work early, under the age of 20, and workers with major health issues would be allowed early retirement. Protracted strikes met Macron’s last effort to raise the retirement age in 2019.

☆ France contends with widespread strikes as unions take to streets against pension reform
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-19 | by ( Ruxandra Iordache | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

French unions and demonstrators have taken to the streets on Thursday in widespread industrial action against the government's projected pension reforms. The pension reform is "just and responsible" and must be carried out, Macron said Thursday, according to Reuters. The organizations will convene Thursday evening to determine convening further industrial action. Rail operator SNCF warned train travel will be "severely disrupted" by industrial action between 7 p.m. local time on 18 Jan. and 8 a.m. on Friday. He reiterated his objections to the reform plan and stressed the syndicates' willingness to continue strikes beyond the first day of industrial action, "It is a first day, therefore, we will have others."

Protests in major French cities, including Paris, Marseille, Toulouse, Nantes and Nice, brought transport services to a standstill. Eight of the biggest unions had called for a “first day of strikes and protests” against pension reforms unveiled by President Emmanuel Macron’s government. Train lines across France were seeing “severe disruption,” according to French rail authority SNCF. Macron’s proposed pension reforms come as workers in France, as elsewhere, are being squeezed by rising food and energy bills. The French government has said that raising the retirement age is necessary to tackle a pension funding deficit.

☆ Factbox: Unions vs Macron: French pension strikes snarl trains, close schools
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

PARIS, Jan 19 (Reuters) - French workers across the private and public sectors joined nationwide strikes on Thursday, snarling the rail network, closing schools and halting refinery deliveries. Here's where the impact is being felt:RAILWAYS, BUSES, METRONational train services and bus and metro operations in Paris were severely disrupted. The hard-left CGT's refinery federation has announced a further 48-hour strike next week and a 72-hour strike the week after. The Education Ministry said just 35% of high school teachers joined the industrial action, and 42% of primary school teachers. French law compels medics and other critical public services to guarantee a minimum level of cover.

[1/5] SNCF Express Regional (TER) trains are seen at the Saint-Lazare train station in Paris on the eve of a nationwide day of strike and protests in key sectors like energy, public transport, air travel and schools against the pension reform, France, January 18, 2023. The nationwide day of strikes and protests is a major test for President Emmanuel Macron, but also for the unions. Opinion polls show French voters overwhelmingly reject a reform that the government says is vital to ensure the pension system does not go bust. Government spokesman Oliver Veran said the cabinet was "calm, determined" ahead of the strike and urged workers not to paralyse the country. Meanwhile, Macron and several of his ministers will be in Barcelona on Thursday for a meeting with the Spanish government.

☆ Trains, flights cancelled in France on Thursday in strike against pension reform
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

PARIS, Jan 17 (Reuters) - Most trains will be cancelled in France on Thursday, with flights also affected and Paris' subway heavily disrupted, as part of a nationwide strike against the government's plan to make people work longer before they can retire. Unions have called workers to massively walk out of their job on Jan. 19 and take to the streets across France. In Paris, the vast majority of RER commuter trains will be cancelled, while three metro lines will be entirely shut down and many others will be disrupted, the RATP metro operator said. Meanwhile, one in five flights to and from Paris' Orly airport are set to be cancelled. France has a decades-long history of attempts to reform its pension system - one of the most generous and costly in Europe - and of protests to try to stop them.

☆ Factbox: Workers vs Macron: What to expect from Thursday's strike
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Two cabin crew unions and a union at Air France (AIRF.PA) called on employees to attend the strike. FINANCEThe banking and financial industry branch of the FO union called on employees to join the strike. The Unsa-Sante union has filed a strike notice from Jan. 10 until Feb. 1, citing the pensions reform specifically. LOGISTICSThe FO union of truck drivers and other logistics workers announced "indefinite" strike action from Jan. 19 to "win the fight" against the reform. REFINERIESThe CGT trade union announced strikes in the refinery sector, where petrol supplies were disrupted last year during weeks of industrial action.

☆ Man with knife wounds several at Paris' Gare du Nord station: Report
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-11 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

A man with a knife wounded several people at the Gare du Nord train station in Paris on Wednesday morning, France Bleu radio reported. The attacker was "neutralised" by police, interior minister Gerald Darmanin said on Twitter, without going into further detail. The attack happened around 0640 CET (0540 GMT) inside the train station, radio franceinfo said, quoting rail operator SNCF. The station is one of the busiest in Europe and a major link between Paris, London and the north of Europe. BFM TV said police had used a gun to stop the man.

☆ Man with knife wounds several at Paris' Gare du Nord station - France Bleu
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-11 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

PARIS, Jan 11 (Reuters) - A man with a knife wounded several people at the Gare du Nord train station in Paris on Wednesday morning, France Bleu radio reported. The attacker was "neutralised" by police, interior minister Gerald Darmanin said on Twitter, without going into further detail. The attack happened around 0640 CET (0540 GMT) inside the train station, radio franceinfo said, quoting rail operator SNCF. The station is one of the busiest in Europe and a major link between Paris, London and the north of Europe. Reporting by Bertrand Boucey and Sudip Kar-Gupta; writing by Geert De Clercq; Editing by Andrew HeavensOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Geodis’s Marie-Christine Lombard Sees Global Forces Continuing to Reshape Trade Flows
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-28 | by ( Paul Berger | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +6 min

Newsletter Sign-up The Logistics Report Top news and in-depth analysis on the world of logistics, from supply chain to transport and technology. MS. LOMBARD: The supply chain used to be quite seamless and fluid. The world order has a huge impact on the supply chain and its stability. The difference is that the supply chain itself was not disrupted. The entire supply chain is being rethought and recalibrated and re-costed.

☆ Two companies have luxury trains called the 'Orient Express.' Here are the differences
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-22 | by ( Lucy Handley | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +9 min

The "Orient Express" has been called the "king of trains" and the "train of kings." By the 1970s, the original Orient Express trains had made their last journeys, and the carriages fell into disrepair. The Orient Express 'La Dolce Vita'Accor has more plans to use the Orient Express name. A rendering of the "Orient Express La Dolce Vita," which will connect Rome to cities like Paris, Istanbul and Split. A rendering of a bedroom suite on the "Orient Express La Dolce Vita," showing the train's 1960s-style decor.

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