PARIS — There was just one day left before Christmas Eve, and the mood inside the Gare de Lyon train station in Paris on Monday was tense.

Travelers, many with shopping bags laden with gifts, were waiting for trains that might never come. Striking rail workers suddenly marched into the station, chanting noisily, followed a few minutes later by scores of police officers in riot gear.

“Usually, 15 of us get together for Christmas, but this year it’s just going to be my wife and me,” said Florian Cercea, 28, whose train had been delayed by several hours. “Christmas comes only once a year, and it’s very important for my family.”

He added: “It’s going to be a sad Christmas. It means, even if we have presents, we can’t give them to the children. I guess we’ll give them next year after the strike is over.”