Train from Lourdes, FR to Toulouse

The trip by train is two hours, and the first train leaves at about 06:30. Allowing 30 minutes for the trip from Toulouse- Matabiau station to the airport might get you to check in on time, it depends where you're going and what the check-in conditions for your flight are.

I think it's too tight, and you'll be stressed out.

I concur that it feels too risky and that you would do better spending a night in lovely Toulouse.

Simon and Balso,
Thank you for your kind replies. But Im not sure Im following your logic- let me play this out

630-830am train from Lourdes to Toulouse
830-930 travel from train to airport (you suggest its 30 min, but Im padding it, to allow 1 hour)

If I arrive at this regional airport around 930 or so, doesnt this seem ample time for an 11am flight to Amsterdam? I have no bag to check, will already have my ticket, and so I expect check in at airport should be easy ( the hardest part might be finding the shuttle bus from train station, to get me to the airport, and then finding the right airport gate for my flight.)

And so, doesnt my timeline, above, seem reasonable? Or, maybe Im missing something? Not familiar w French trains, but assume they run reasonably on time….? Your thoughts?

Thank you!

Kirby

French trains can be late for all sorts of reasons. In the past year we've had delays due to train traffic, removal of disruptive passenger by the police, left bag. Our trains have been rerouted due to an electrical problem on the main track and another time due to what SNCF euphemistically calls a personal situation. So, you are betting that your train won't have any delays. Our logic is that if you have to pay for hotel and travel anyway, you may as well cover your bets and go the night before.

I recently flew to Italy at 14:30 with a group from CDG, a 3.5 hour train ride for me. Seven of us in the group live outside the Paris region. All of us went the day before and slept at the airport.

Bets, thanks for your reply. Your info is helpful…. I will not be paying for a hotel the night before- am coming off a 12 day trip that ends in Lourdes. By the end of 12 da I will be ready to fly home! And so, it is a judgment call- if I spend the next day in Toulouse, I must buy another night in hotel, and related expenses. But I now better understand the possible challenges- Hmmm, gotta think about it…. thanks!
Kirby

My cousin flew from Tarbes to Paris. Check-in was three hours before flight.

The two times the trains were rerouted onto different tracks, we were 2 hours late. The other delays were 30 to 90 minutes.

Do you have trip insurance that will cover costs if you miss the Toulouse plane and have to buy a whole new itinerary?

From Toulouse Matabiau train station there is an Airport shuttle approximately every 20 minutes (copper/orange colored electric buses). The journey to the airport takes 25 / 35 minutes depending on traffic.
So plan on 1 hour rather than 30 minutes.

Toulouse Blagnac is an international airport with around 10 million passengers per year, so no really a regional one, but you will have no difficulty finding your departure gate. For Amsterdam with a KLM flight your gate will be in Hall D (on the far right of the airport). The shuttle bus stops approximately in front of Hall C.

As for the train I wouldn't worry too much. Delays can happen but they are a very small minority.

Also note that there are 3 or 4 daily flights to Amsterdam. The one at 11:20 a.m. is not the last one.

JoLui,
Thank you for writing, your comments are helpful! It is great to consult with such a wise audience here.
Good info…

K

You seem to be determined to go ahead, regardless of the wise advice given.

Problems can occur on any transport network, or road (if you went by taxi) for a multitude of reasons.

Your plan requires perfection to happen on the day, Yes it might, but equally it might not.

Sure there are other flights that day. But will they have capacity? As you have stated you are trying to save money will the cost of a new flight ticket (if there is a seat available) outweigh the cost of a duplicate hotel night in Toulouse? I suspect the hotel in Toulouse is cheaper.
Bearing in mind that if you don't get to Amsterdam you have lost your hotel night there as well.
If you do not turn up on time no airline will just transfer you to the next flight free of charge. No amount of weeping, having tantrums, demanding your non-existent "rights" (all behaviours you see all the time from travellers) will change that.

No one who gives you glib assurances on here is going to buy your new flight ticket for you. Oh, and if you can't get out of Toulouse that day you then have a hotel night anyway in Toulouse.

If an insurance company deems that you allowed insufficient time you won't get a payout there either.

There are times to cheap out, and times to be sensible.

You can find a decent bed in Toulouse for 60 euros or even less sometimes. That sounds cheap for peace of mind! At least 3 times cheaper than a last-minute flight.
Or, if your flight ticket is not purchased yet, you can buy a ticket on a later flight. An early afternoon flight would give you enough margin in case of a train delay or cancellation.

I have to disagree that delays are a small minority. I expérience delays close to 90% of the time. For example in December, we met friends from Marseille for lunch in Arles. They were 1.5 hours late: left package had to be exploded. After lunch, it was our train: 40 minutes late. Don't know why. Their trip normally is 1 hour, ours is 1.5 hours.
Two weeks later, I went to CDG and back: both ways the trains were late.

Yes, but Bets, with my limited experience of trains, I can confirm that 100% of the 2 Intercity trains I took this year were on time, and 100% of friends who took the train to or from Toulouse this year were not delayed.

So, what conclusion can we draw from this?

It's up to the OP to decide... That being said, if I were in his shoes I would play it safe and take a later flight

Have you considered doing the whole trip by train? Having a single transport provider for the whole trip has its advantages. And it is probably going to be cheaper too.

Lourdes - Amsterdam is about 10 hours, via Paris.