This year the "train chaos in the summer" competition has new rules: it's for single trains stuck with no electricity in for hours in the heat of the sun or overnight. And with the opening of the network to competition, non-SNCF trains can compete. Note that these reports are hard to tell apart, so this list might not be complete, just for the last week!

On Monday (25/5/26) two TGVs (one a Ouigo) to Marseille and Nice were caught by an OLE break during the afternoon, when the temperature on board shot up to "dangerous" in an hour. Passengers were allowed out to sit on the shady side after an hour - of course whether that's possible depends on the track orientation.  Both arrived about 8 hours late; several other trains were also delayed but not by headline-earning amounts.

A passenger on that Ouigo opened an emergency exit after an hour to get some air. She was issued with a €200 fine which SNCF, challenged about that, first supported and then "suspended" during internal inquiries.

On Thursday (28/5/26) SNCF announced a number of cancellations in advance of Intercités services. The explanation was that the aircon in these old Corail trains (scheduled for replacement next year) has a high failure rate. They are undergoing a planned spring maintenance campaign to help them through the summer, but of course this year the (very) hot weather has caught them with only part of the fleet done. It has also meant that aircon failure now has to be taken much more seriously than in the past.

Last evening (29/5/26) two Trenitalia services in the evening from Lyon to Paris were diverted off the LGV and then the OLE failed and they (841 passengers) were stuck for ... 10 hours, for a total delay of 14 hours. Support was provided by the gendarmes in situ, with no evacuation or rescue train. Not being able to call on SNCF resources might be relevant to that, of course.

I wonder whether in the future clued-up passengers will make sure the service they are booking will use a TGV-M - you know, the latest ones with batteries big enough to keep the aircon running or even limp to a station.