The Paris Police Prefecture has ordered the closure of 21 key metro stations from 10 a.m. on Saturday 14 November as tens of thousands of demonstrators march from République to Nation in the fifth consecutive “Act V” protest against the cost of living. The shutdown affects inter-city hubs such as Châtelet, Bastille and Charles-de-Gaulle–Étoile, while RER D trains will not run at all through the city core between Gare du Nord and Gare de Lyon on both Saturday and Sunday. Metro lines 6 and 11 are partially suspended, and line 12 is closed north of Jules Joffrin for separate engineering works linked to the rollout of the MF19 train fleet. RATP traffic managers caution that knock-on delays will ripple across the network, particularly for passengers changing between regional rail and Eurostar services. For corporate mobility teams, the greatest pain point is the loss of the RER D trunk, often used as a fallback when the airport-bound RER B is disrupted. Travellers are advised to switch to the fully automated metro line 14, albeit with the caveat that Châtelet station is off-limits during the protest. Hotels around La Défense have reported a surge in last-minute bookings from business guests seeking to avoid crossing the city centre, and several multinational firms have switched in-person meetings to virtual formats. Delivery companies have pre-emptively rerouted electric-cargo-bike fleets to avoid the protest corridor, a move that also limits exposure to potential property-damage claims. RATP and Île-de-France Mobilités stress that real-time updates will appear in their apps, and they will reopen stations “as soon as police authorise.” Given the political climate, security advisers recommend that expatriate assignees avoid demonstration areas and carry photo ID in case of spot checks.
Source: Sortiraparis
