Heatwave: SNCF cancels Intercités trains, here's why and the lines affected

The extraordinary heat wave this May 2026 is disrupting railway traffic. SNCF cancels several Intercités trains on Thursday and Friday on the Paris-Southwest and Bordeaux-Marseille lines, due to the Corail carriages and their aging air conditioning. Here's the update.

It's scorching, and the trains are feeling it. In the face of the heat wave hitting France this May 2026, the SNCF has announced the cancellation of several Intercités trains on Thursday, May 29 and Friday, May 30 on two corridors: Paris to Toulouse, Brive and Cahors, and the Bordeaux–Marseille link. The reason: the Corail rolling stock and their air-conditioning systems can’t keep up when the mercury climbs. Traffic is expected to return to normal on Saturday.

Why do heat waves lead to train cancellations?

It's no small matter. The Corail trains date back several decades, and their design no longer allows them to withstand the same extreme conditions as modern trains. When outdoor temperatures climb too high, the air conditioning units risk failing mid-journey. Rather than leaving passengers stranded in an overheated carriage, SNCF Voyageurs has opted to proactively cancel certain departures. It's a precautionary measure, even though it ends up penalizing the travelers affected.

This Thursday, seventeen departments have been placed under orange heatwave alert by Météo-France, including several in the Paris region. The rail operator says that the service cuts are primarily aimed at the midday trains, where the heat is most intense.

Which trains are canceled on Thursday, May 29 and Friday, May 30, 2026?

Paris–Southwest : 4 trains canceled to Toulouse, Brive, and Cahors, 3 on the return leg (Thursday and Friday).
Bordeaux–Marseille : 6 trains canceled on Thursday, 5 on Friday

The SNCF has bolstered trains that were kept running by adding extra cars where possible. All passengers whose train was cancelled have been contacted to arrange an exchange or a refund. If you have not yet received a message, check your file directly on SNCF Connect.

When is normalcy expected to return?

Starting this Saturday, May 31, 2026, according to the company. The disruption is short, but poorly timed as the month-end long weekend—usually a busy period for departures to the South—approaches.

This kind of incident underscores a deeper issue: the Corail fleet is aging, and increasingly hot summers are exposing its limits. The question of renewing this rolling stock has long been raised by the state and SNCF. In the meantime, if you’re traveling over the next two days, be sure to check your train before you head to the station. Major Paris stations like Montparnasse or Austerlitz offer air-conditioned spaces to wait out any doubts.