French train stations are deserted as commuters gear up for two months of disruption by rail workers protesting against government reforms put forward by Emmanuel Macron.

Many workers from the national rail company SNCF will be carrying out walk-outs every two days out of five to protest what they believe is a dilution of their working rights.

Video from Matabiau station in Toulouse, the southern-French city's principal rail hub, shows empty platforms and departure boards announcing that many services have been replaced by buses.

The southern region is one of the worst hit by the industrial action, with just one in every ten trains running on strike days.

SNCF said around 34 percent of its staff is on strike, with that figure rising to 77 percent among drivers.

Macron's reform has been seen by some as a way to radically reform the indebted rail company, but workers see it as a step toward privatisation.