Desperate passengers climbed through the windows of a commuter train on the first day of the French rail strike.

Video shows the RER D train, which serves the île-de-France region, at the Gare de Lyon around 5 pm on Tuesday.

Passengers on the platform are seen clambering through the narrow windows into the carriage.

A caption on the video reads: "I just can't take it anymore."

Industrial action by the state railway company in France, SNCF, has led to widespread cancellations and delays.

The strikes in protest of labour reform by President Emmanuel Macron's government will be scattered over the course of three months.

In Paris, one in four RER trains have been affected by the walk-out.

Commuters in the busy Gare de Lyon – one of the French capital's largest – were spotted walking along railways due to overcrowding on platforms.