This will be my first time traveling by train with SNCF. One of my trips is from Lyon Part-Dieu to Bordeaux Saint-Jean.
One of the options has a train change at Massy TGV, but both trains use the same station, so I wouldn’t need to change stations. The connection time is 21 minutes.
For those familiar with Massy TGV, is 21 minutes enough time to make the connection, or would you recommend a different route?
Thanks in advance.
That is plenty of time to connect at Massy TGV. One thing to note is that in 2027 (supposedly summertime) there will be a direct TGV between Lyon and Bordeaux (meaning, no change of trains.) So, depending on your timing, you may want to look in to this option (unless you are going this winter than it's null.)
Either way, 20 minutes is enough time to connect.
While it is definitely enough time, I would ask if you will have luggage that you can
easily carry up/down a staircase, as a lot of smaller train stations don't have escalators
at every platform.
If not, most likely there is an elevator or two on the platform which you can take
down to the main corridor and then back up if you need to change tracks, but it
will take a bit more time, especially if there is a crowd of people wanting to use
the elevator.
I assume your date of travel is close enough to be fairly sure the routing won't change?
If it's somewhere in 2027, then you would want to keep tabs on the schedule, as there
is often a rework of the timetable in December.
Massy is probably fine, but you can often glean some info from looking at youtube
videos or Google street view.
Shoeflyer has a good warning for small, old stations, but Massy is a large, modern station with escalators and elevators. It will be fine.
Massy TGV has only two platforms. And since you are changing between two TGV that go in the same direction it will be:
- Get off your train.
- Wait on the platform for the next train to pull up. 2 minutes in to that wait you will wish that the connection was 3 minutes in stead of 21...
- Get on that train.
So 21 minutes is actually rather atrociously long, as there isn't much to do at that station. But SNCF does not do efficient schedules. it's against the French constitution or something.
So don't worry. That is a good route. And if a significant delay makes you miss that connection they will put you on another train.
